Our Universe
by Jaenera Targaryen
Summary: Siegfried Kircheis survives the assassination attempt by Commodore Ansbach. As a result, Reinhard remains whole and now, the galaxy, and the known universe, will change.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Prologue

 _…please conquer…the universe…Lord…Reinhard…_

Margrave Reinhard von Lohengramm slowly opened his eyes, and raised his head to glance sideways beside him. There, lying on the bed beside which he sat slumped on a simple chair, was a young man with hair the color of fire, eyes closed in sleep. Leads snaked out from beneath the sheets, connected to beeping and humming machines standing on the other side of the bed, glowing screens showing the young man's life functions.

Siegfried Kircheis, High Admiral and Deputy Space Fleet Commander of the Galactic Empire…

…Reinhard's first and closest friend…no…more than that. His other half…family in all but name…the one man in the universe he knew without any doubt whatsoever who would always side with him even if the whole universe turned against them.

So it had always been, and so it would always be. Or so it should be…

 _"Margrave Lohengramm, I will avenge my lord!"_

 _The rocket burst from its launcher with a plume of fire, and searing through the air exploded against the wall just a few feet to the right of Reinhard's throne. Dust, smoke, and debris showered the margrave and his chief of staff, Oberstein unexpectedly rushing before the throne to protect his master with his life and body if need be._

 _He needn't have bothered._

 _Where the other admirals and soldiers present had been stunned into inactivity at Commodore Ansbach smuggling a small rocket launcher into Geiersberg's throne room by actually hiding it **inside** his late lord's body, Kircheis had leapt into action in but an instant. It was Kircheis who had changed the rocket's course, grabbing the launcher and forcing its direction away from Reinhard just moments before the rocket could be fired, and with some further exertion forced Ansbach to drop the weapon._

 _The commodore glared in frustration before lashing out with a fist. Kircheis caught the commodore's arm, only for a laser beam to shoot out from a ring on Ansbach's finger. The beam shot through Kircheis' chest, but even as he spat out blood from a ruptured lung, he still managed to lunge forward, driving Ansbach back on the ground._

 _Another beam lanced out, aimed at Kircheis' head, but the high admiral reacted just in the nick of time, rolling to one side and against the ground, the beam striking the ceiling overhead harmlessly. And even then, despite his own serious injury, Kircheis' grip on Ansbach's arm was so strong, that he literally ripped the man's elbow apart as he rolled against the ground._

 _"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeier finally roared, shaking himself free of stunned inactivity, and rushing forward with the rest of the fleet commanders present. Grabbing both Kircheis and Ansbach, they forcefully separated them apart, Kempff and others pinning Ansbach against the ground as Mittermeier and Mecklinger attempted to help Kircheis._

 _"Hang in there, Admiral Kircheis." Mittermeier urged before looking at the nearby soldiers. "Hurry! A doctor…get a medical team in here!"_

 _As the soldiers rushed into activity, mocking laughter began to be heard. Shocked eyes turned to its source, and quickly turned into outrage. "Forgive me, Duke Braunschweig." Ansbach said, looking in the direction of his master's body. "How many long years must you wait before the brat falls into hell?"_

 _"That's enough of that, you shameless bastard!" Vice Admiral Karl Gustav Kempff growled before striking Ansbach on the head._

 _Ansbach ignored him, however. "At the very least," he continued. "I may have taken the brat's other half away. Await my coming in Valhalla!"_

 _Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal's eyes flared in realization. "Stop him!" he shouted, but it was too late. Ansbach audibly bit down on something in his mouth, and despite Reuenthal's best efforts to keep him from swallowing, it was all for naught. In but a few more moments, Ansbach's eyes rolled back, and with blood leaking from his mouth went still._

 _"Pointless mockery…" Vice Admiral Adalbert von Fahrenheit whispered as the rest of the present gathering stirred into further activity._

 _"You help out as well!" Vice Admiral Ulrich Kessler shouted to other soldiers as well. "There may be another device! Get the body and the stretcher out of here! Hurry!"_

 _As the throne room bustled away, Reinhard who had simply sat silent and unmoving on his throne for the past few minutes finally rose to his feet. Staggering down the dais, eyes fixed on Kircheis, he approached his friend before collapsing to his knees._

 _"Lord…Reinhard…" Kircheis whispered, looking at his friend and master. "Are you safe? Are you unhurt?"_

 _"Yes…YES!" Reinhard answered, grabbing Kircheis' hand. "Thanks to you, Kircheis. Only thanks to you…"_

 _Kircheis smiled before weakly and wetly taking a deep breath. "Lord…Reinhard…" he whispered. "If…if I do not…survive this…please tell Lady Annerose, that Sieg kept his promise…from long ago…and please…"_

 _"NO!" Reinhard shouted desperately, squeezing Kircheis' hand. "NO! I WON'T DO IT! You do it, Kircheis. Save your strength…the doctor will be here soon…this injury will heal quickly…and then we can go see my sister together! Won't we, Kircheis? Kircheis!"_

 _"…please conquer…the universe…Lord…Reinhard…" Kircheis whispered at last before closing his eyes._

 _"No…" Reinhard whispered in despair, and shaking his head in denial. "No…Kircheis…open your eyes, Kircheis. Kircheis!"_

 _"It's alright, he's just fallen unconscious." Mittermeier said, placing a hand on Reinhard's shoulder. "And the doctor is here. Your Excellency…"_

 _Mittermeier trailed off and recoiled as Reinhard glared at him, only for the margrave to look back at his friend and then to the doctor and his team as they arrived and quickly got to work on Kircheis. Mittermeier and the other admirals just looked on, silent and unmoving, knowing not to step out of line at this point from Reinhard's earlier glare, allowing their master to silently keep his friend company as the doctors did what they could, and accompanied them as they took Kircheis away to the infirmary._

" _Kircheis,_ " Reinhard told himself, as he looked at the unconscious body of his friend. " _Always so brave…so loyal…_ "

Reinhard closed his eyes, and grit his teeth and clenched his fists. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Kircheis would not have hesitated to spill blood for his sake, or even to risk his own life to protect him, as recent events had proven. And neither would Reinhard hesitate either way, if the situation had been reversed.

But…this could all have been stopped without Kircheis ever stepping so close to the gates of Valhalla. Was he not previously the only man allowed to step in Reinhard's presence with a weapon?

And yet that privilege had been taken away, by Reinhard himself, on Oberstein's advice.

Oberstein…to be sure the reasoning of an unfair privilege causing resentment, jealousy, and suspicions of favoritism was sound…but it was also uncalled for. It had always worked before, and it should have worked on indefinitely…and because it had been taken away, it had resulted in nearly the worst possible outcome.

But…all blame could not be put solely in Oberstein. Or indeed, it could not be placed on him. He was, after all, Reinhard's Chief of Staff. As Reinhard himself had put it once before, to point out potential mistakes and vulnerabilities were part of his duties in such a role, and to neglect to do so would be to neglect his duty.

And finally, and most damningly, Reinhard had made the decision himself. Oberstein might give and press for advice to be accepted, but ultimately, it was Reinhard who would, and had, made the final decision.

That thought in mind, Reinhard bowed his head in self-recrimination.

* * *

Reinhard didn't know how long he sat there, brooding on his own guilt and regret, but eventually his solitude was broken. "Your Excellency," Vice Admiral Paul von Oberstein said as he arrived before Reinhard.

"I thought I gave orders that we would not be disturbed." Reinhard growled. This…belligerence, was not simply for the previously given uncalled-for advice that had contributed to the current situation, but simply because Reinhard _had_ given such orders.

In short, it was simply insubordination.

Oberstein however, was unfazed. "Your Excellency," he repeated. "There is an active hyperspace communication channel for you from Imperial Capital Odin. It is the Countess Grunewald."

Reinhard's eyes widened in shock and surprise, and then narrowed with growing rage. "You bastard," he whispered, slowly rising to his feet and shaking with anger. "You told my sister, didn't you?"

"I did." Oberstein admitted.

Reinhard turned away, eyes shut and fists clenched in a struggle to control his anger. "How dare you?" he growled.

"Your Excellency…"

"SILENCE!"

Oberstein was silent for a moment, and then continued regardless of Reinhard's rage. "Are you afraid of facing your sister?" he asked, and prompting Reinhard to look at him.

"What?"

"If you aren't, then speak with her." Oberstein continued before pausing for another moment. "And I am afraid that is beyond even your power to keep the truth from her forever."

Reinhard stood silent, shaking with rage, even as Oberstein continued to speak. "Your Excellency," he said. "I have not abandoned you, but you mustn't neglect your responsibilities as you have so far. If Admiral Kircheis wakes and finds the universe to have fallen into the hands of another, then he would only look away in shame."

Reinhard looked away for a couple of moments, and then turned back to Oberstein. "Very well," he said. "But transfer the channel to this room's terminal. I will take it here."

"Your Excellency…"

"That was not a request!"

Oberstein bowed in assent, and smartly turning away, left without a word. Alone once more with his friend, Reinhard sank into his seat, head bowed, until the room's terminal began to flash. Slowly rising and walking over to the terminal, he hesitantly pressed the accept button.

The screen flashed to show the pale-faced image of his sister, Countess Annerose von Grunewald. "Reinhard," she said softly.

"Sister…" Reinhard whispered, his resolve crumbling as he leaned on the terminal to stay on his feet. "Sister…it's all my fault. If…if I hadn't…if only I hadn't gotten into an argument with Kircheis beforehand…then I…"

"Reinhard," Annerose repeated before closing her eyes briefly. "What has happened?"

Reinhard didn't speak for a long moment. And then slowly, he told Annerose of Westerland, of how Oberstein had advised him not to intercept the planned nuclear bombardment ordered by Duke Braunschweig. He told Annerose how he'd refused the advice in the end, but had delayed for as long as possible to consider it…and in so doing had allowed Oberstein to manipulate the situation such that the bombardment had taken place anyway.

Reinhard told of how he'd accepted responsibility for the deaths of two million people when Kircheis had confronted him over the matter, and how harsh words had been spoken as Reinhard had lashed out in the aftermath. Reinhard then confessed of how he'd lamented at learning that she valued Kircheis' judgment over his own, and how it may likely have influenced him into accepting Oberstein's advice to remove Kircheis' privilege of being the only one allowed to be armed in his presence.

Advice that in the end, had led to the current situation, with Kircheis fighting for his life after saving Reinhard's own.

"It's all my fault…my fault…" Reinhard whispered in the aftermath, head bowed, unable to meet his sister's eyes, almost as though he was a child again, caught and forced to admit to a wrongdoing he had committed before his elder sister. And it wouldn't be wrong.

"Reinhard," Annerose began after a long moment. "Certainly, you hold a certain degree of responsibility for what has transpired on Westerland. However, you admit as such, and indeed clearly regret the consequences of your decisions. Reinhard…I do not believe you need to hold yourself accountable any further than you already do for what has transpired on that matter."

"Sister…" Reinhard whispered, raising his head. Annerose smiled reassuringly.

"On the matter of Sieg and his judgment…" she began before trailing off with a sigh. "I suppose it is only to be expected that you would feel that way over what I said. However, it is not so much that I trust Sieg's judgment over your own. Reinhard…it's just that that your eyes are always looking so far away, to a future only you can see and achieve, and not just for yourself but for those around you. That is not something that you can be held responsible for, as you are a leader of men, and must chart the path for them to follow. But…Reinhard, if your eyes are always fixed on the distant horizon, then it is likely that you will miss things much closer to yourself. In that regard, Sieg's eyes are as much your own as they are his. You understand what I am saying, do you not?"

Reinhard lowered his head in mixed shame and relief. "Yes, I understand." He said with a slow nod, and finally raising his head. "It was stupid of me to be…envious, and dismayed, especially when it is clear that I was acting on a misunderstanding."

Annerose nodded in agreement. "As for your argument with Sieg," she said before smiling sympathetically. "Reinhard…did you ever stop considering Sieg to be your friend even once afterwards?"

"Of course not!" Reinhard burst out. "How could I possibly…?"

"Then that is enough." Annerose reassured him. "Even the closest of friends and family will fight and argue with each other from time to time. It is only natural, and part of being Human. Indeed, it could even be said that friendships and relationships that endure, no, grow all the stronger in the aftermath of such arguments are the ones to be most cherished."

"…yes…yes, I understand, sister."

Annerose nodded. "You may have said harsh words," she said. "And a rift may have grown between you and Sieg…but you have never once stopped seeing him as a friend, and neither did he. That much is clear beyond all doubt."

"That it is."

"Then you know what you must do, Reinhard." Annerose said with a hopeful smile. "I will see you and Sieg again, when you return to Odin. Until then, my prayers are with you both. _Auf Wiedersehen_."

* * *

Kircheis stirred fitfully, his chest feeling sore and somewhat burning. Opening his eyes, he blinked repeatedly as his eyes adjusted to the bright light of the room he was in. Turning his head, he took in his surroundings as those of a room in a medical bay typical of those used by the Imperial Fleet, and that indeed, he was hooked up to several machines meant to ensure his life functions were operating as they should.

" _What…happened…_ " Kircheis thought, his mind struggling to clear away the fog that seemed to shroud it.

 _…please conquer…the universe…Lord…Reinhard…_

Kircheis' eyes widened as he remembered what had happened before he had fallen into a coma. " _Lord Reinhard…!_ " he thought in alarm. " _Is he…?_ "

As though in response, Kircheis heard Reinhard's voice nearby, and turning his head, saw one of the two blonde angels to whom he had devoted his whole life, even almost to the point of death itself. And for all the bad blood that had been spilled between them shortly beforehand…

…he did not regret it.

 _Had I to put myself once more between Lord Reinhard and harm's way, I would do so readily, and without regret._

"…it cannot be helped." Reinhard said with a tone of regret in his voice. "The women and males aged below ten are to be exiled to the frontier. Those males aged ten and above are to be put to death. And painlessly, Reuenthal."

"It will be done." Reuenthal said on the screen. "The boys aged below ten are to be allowed to live?"

"Kircheis and I were ten when we entered the military academy." Reinhard answered. "Therefore, I cannot hold them responsible until they reach the same age as we did, and swore to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. And if they in the future come seeking revenge against me…then I will take responsibility."

Reuenthal bowed. "It will be done." He said.

Kircheis felt torn. On one hand…the punitive measures that Reinhard was taking against his enemies were…excessive, in ways typical of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. But…on the other hand, it was clear he was doing so only because he had no other choice, and that he himself was already regretting ordering such measures, as not doing so would leave himself vulnerable, and thus potentially leave everything done and sacrificed until today all for nothing.

 _Much like over Westerland…I do not regret what I said…they had to be said…but…I should have known better not to push Lord Reinhard so far…I should have known that he'd only lash out if pressed to such an extent…I should have spoken more softly and calmly…if I had…then…_

"Lord…Reinhard…" Kircheis struggled to speak through a dry and parched throat.

Reinhard whirled in surprise, and rushed over to Kircheis at once. "Kircheis!" he shouted, grabbing Kircheis' hand as he did so. "How could you do it, Kircheis? How could you almost die and leave me all alone? Didn't we swear that we'd always stand together, fight together, and conquer the universe together? Didn't we?"

Kircheis only smiled weakly in response. "Lord…Reinhard…" he whispered again. "Are you…safe? Are you unharmed?"

"Yes," Reinhard frantically nodded, smiling down at his friend. "Yes, I am. Thanks to you, Kircheis. Thanks to you."

Kircheis smiled wider, and squeezed Reinhard's hand. "Then," he said. "I have no regrets, Lord Reinhard."

* * *

A/N

"I am now the most powerful man in the known universe. But I could have been more powerful still, had not half of my wings been torn away for my own sins."

\- Emperor Reinhard I, _The Imperial Decree at the Garden of Winter Roses_

So, Kircheis survives, and Reinhard doesn't lose half of himself. Now, the galaxy will change.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 1

Kircheis patiently sat silent on his bed, as the doctor inspected his injuries, and then replaced the dressing with the help of a nearby nurse. "Your injuries are healing well, admiral." The doctor said as they finished. "Now, personally I'd like to keep you in the hospital until it heals completely, but given your rank and circumstances sir, I understand that may not be possible. I'll sign your release papers, but in exchange I'd like your word sir that you won't strain yourself too much. Internal injuries are tricky business, after all."

Kircheis had to smile a little at the gentle nerve of the doctor trying to bargain with a high admiral such as himself. Not that the doctor didn't have a point, either way. Kircheis _did_ rupture his lung after all, and it was probably best for him not to push himself until it fully healed. But…he was also a high admiral, and Reinhard's most trusted friend and subordinate. And these were difficult and trying times. Reinhard would need his help and support.

One had to credit the doctor for being both perceptive to the greater situation, and yet dutiful to his responsibilities as a medical professional.

"I understand, doctor." Kircheis said, and letting the nurse help him put his shirt back on. "Thankfully, I have quite competent officers on my staff. While there are some responsibilities I absolutely must handle in person, I believe I can trust them to handle the rest on their own."

The doctor nodded in assent. "Very well, admiral." He said, already getting to his feet. "I'll have the proper documentation ready within the hour so you may return to your duties."

Kircheis nodded. "Thank you for your good work, doctor." He said, and the doctor nodded back before leaving with the nurse. Alone now, Kircheis sighed and sat back against his pillows. For a few moments, he just stared at the pale ceiling overhead, and then rubbing at the fresh dressing on his chest was struck once more by his own sense of mortality.

To think he had nearly died, not even nearly thirty. In this war, that happened with all too great regularity, and as a soldier he had always known it was all but an inevitability, but still…

…if he had died…where would that have left all the precious people in his life? The people he would have left to face the future, the universe, alone on their own?

 _My parents…Lady Annerose…Lord Reinhard…_

Kircheis closed his eyes, hearing that small, selfish part of him whisper to him in his head. He had done more than enough, hadn't he? He'd supported Reinhard this far, just a few steps from the throne itself, and nearly given his life for him.

Surely that was enough. And after all, Reinhard had plenty of other, skilled and loyal subordinates to count on by now. No one would blame Kircheis if he left the fleet now, returned home to his parents, or struck out on his own, seeking his own fortune in life. Leave it all behind…

But just as quickly, the memories floated to the surface, memories that caused that small, selfish part of Kircheis to fall silent.

 _Sieg, be a good friend to my little brother, alright?_

 _Come with me, Kircheis. Together, we'll conquer the universe!_

 _Kircheis, do you think that what was possible for Rudolf is impossible for me?_

"Yes, Lady Annerose." Kircheis whispered. "Please conquer the universe, Lord Reinhard."

Almost as if invoked by the speaking of his name, the doors to Kircheis' room opened, allowing the caped visage of Reinhard von Lohengramm to enter. "Kircheis!" Reinhard said as he strode in, Kircheis sitting up as he entered. "What did the doctor say? How are your injuries doing?"

"My injuries are doing well, Your Excellency." Kircheis answered, as Reinhard walked over and sat down beside the bed. "While I will have to refrain from pushing myself too far until they heal completely, I will be able to return to my duties within the day."

Reinhard nodded. "That sounds good then." He said. "This way, we should be able to return to the Imperial Capital together."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Kircheis," Reinhard began chidingly, a hand reaching out to pull gently at Kircheis' crimson curls. "What did I say about addressing me when we're alone together?"

Kircheis sighed good-naturedly. "Yes, Lord Reinhard." He said, and that was answer enough. Reinhard nodded in approval before drawing back and falling silent for a few moments. Kircheis likewise stayed silent, waiting for Reinhard to speak what was on his mind.

"Once we return to the Imperial Capital," Reinhard finally said. "You'll be promoted to fleet admiral."

"Lord Reinhard, I…"

"No objections, Kircheis." Reinhard interrupted. "There's no denying the fact you've earned the rank. Not just with your victories on the battlefield against the rebel fleet, but also from your recent actions."

"Lord Reinhard…"

Reinhard clenched his fists, his face twisting into a self-loathing grimace. "I…" he whispered before turning to Kircheis with an anguished expression. "Kircheis…I…!"

"There is no need for you to apologize, Lord Reinhard." Kircheis said with an understanding smile. "I am, and always will be, your friend and servant. I do not regret what I have done, nor will I ever, and if need be, I would do so for your sake once more."

"NO!" Reinhard shouted, rising from his seat. "I won't let you do it! I won't let you die for my sake! I won't have it! I don't care what that Oberstein says, I don't care if it's seen as favoritism or some other kind of nonsense, but I won't let that same situation from before leave you on death's door or worse!"

"Lord Reinhard," Kircheis began. "I would not wish to put you in a difficult situation. And sad as it is to say, Oberstein was right about my being able to bear arms in your presence being an unfair privilege, and which could cause undue tensions and…"

Kircheis trailed off as Reinhard held out a holstered weapon. "This is…" Kircheis said in surprise before glaring at Reinhard.

"It's your weapon, Kircheis." Reinhard said. "I'm giving it back to you, and with it, the right to carry it in my presence. From now, if an enemy ever stands before us in person, you will not have to shield me with your body. The muzzle of your pistol will do."

Kircheis was silent, silently and sternly gazing at Reinhard for several moments, but Reinhard just stared back stonily, until at last Kircheis sighed and relented. "Lord Reinhard, you shouldn't bring weapons into a hospital." He said half-heartedly.

Reinhard blinked and then laughed, before placing the holster on his belt again. Kircheis smiled at the sound of Reinhard's laughter. "If you're already starting to tell me what to do," Reinhard said. "Then you've clearly recovered from your injuries. But I understand. Very well, I'll wait until you return to your duties before returning your weapon to you. But I will expect to find you bearing it at all times afterwards. Understand?"

"Yes, Lord Reinhard."

Again, silence fell between the two friends, Reinhard's face falling in regret. "Kircheis," he began after a few moments. "There is one other thing…about Westerland…"

"It's alright, I understand, Lord Reinhard." Kircheis interrupted. "There is no need to apologize, not when it is clear – and should have been clear to me at the time – that you recognize and accept the responsibility for what transpired there. Indeed, it is I who should apologize, for failing to see such a fact, and instead only unnecessarily inflamed the matter."

"No," Reinhard disagreed with a shake of his head before smiling sadly at Kircheis. "You were right to say it, Kircheis."

Kircheis smiled back, and after a moment, Reinhard patted him on a shoulder. "Then, I will be going." He said. "I can expect you to return to your duties within the day, yes?"

"Yes, Lord Reinhard."

"Good," Reinhard said with a nod. "Mittermeier is already on the way to escort us back to the Imperial Capital. This way, we can welcome him, and return to the Imperial Capital together."

"Yes, Lord Reinhard."

Reinhard nodded again, and with a final pat on Kircheis shoulder, left the room. Alone once more, Kircheis sat back on his pillows, and smiled.

 _Lord Reinhard…Lady Annerose…_

November of Universal Calendar 797, Imperial Calendar 488, Reinhard von Lohengramm and Siegfried Kircheis returned to Imperial Capital Odin and were welcomed in triumph. In recognition of his victories on the battlefield and in protecting Reinhard from an assassin, Kircheis was promoted to Imperial Fleet Admiral.

As for Reinhard, he was elevated from margrave to prince, and was simultaneously appointed Imperial Chancellor. With the Emperor a six-year-old boy with little to no influence outside of Court or even therein, and between Reinhard's positions as Imperial Chancellor and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, Reinhard now had gained absolute power within the Empire…essentially, a dictator governing in the Emperor's name.

And govern he would, writing a new chapter in the saga of Human history.

* * *

 _January, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

Prince Reinhard von Lohengramm, Imperial Fleet Admiral and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, sat behind his desk at the Imperial Chancellery, in his other capacity as Chancellor of the Galactic Empire. A short distance to his right stood Siegfried Kircheis, Deputy Space Fleet Commander and an Imperial Fleet Admiral in his own right, his crimson cape matching his hair.

Approximately two months had passed since the end of the Lippstadt War, and in those two months, Reinhard had done much to change the Empire for the better. The first was the abolition of noble privileges. While the remaining nobles had lost neither land nor money with the abolition of their privileges, they now found themselves subject to taxation, lost the right to maintain private military forces of their own, subject to court jurisdiction for crimes they would previously not have been accountable for, and many others.

Normally, one would expect the nobility to rise up in outraged revolt at the loss of their privileges. But with their whole social class gutted by the Lippstadt War, and with the memory fresh of the punishments laid against those who had joined the Lippstadt League and had supported it to the bitter end, to say nothing of the House of Lichtenlade for (supposedly) attempting to assassinate then-Margrave Lohengramm, none of the remaining nobles, whether it was those who refused to join the Lippstadt League, those who had defected, surrendered, or become fifth columnists prior the final battle, were willing to lose everything by rising against Prince Lohengramm's new regime.

And in any case, they didn't have much ability to do so. The Imperial Fleet following the Lippstadt War was thoroughly under Reinhard's control, and while there remained plenty of nobles within the officer corps even after removals and reassignments of officers who'd bought or used connection to gain their rank, most of those were minor nobles who had truly earned their rank, who had nothing to lose with the abolition of noble privileges and everything to gain by supporting the new regime.

There was no question who the commoners would support, of course.

Following the abolition of noble privileges, Reinhard proceeded to disband the infamous and much-feared Department of Social Discipline, the centuries-old secret police of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. As technically their actions had been legal, its members could not be prosecuted, but by and large Reinhard could and did put most of its former members in watchful early retirement.

Along with the abolition of the Department of Social Discipline, civil liberties long suppressed or used by the Goldenbaum Dynasty for its own purposes were restored, such as freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. Paired together, these reforms further cemented Reinhard's reputation before the Imperial citizens as a reforming leader they could wholeheartedly trust and look up to both in war and peace.

And now Reinhard was beginning work on the next series of reforms to be introduced by his government. Already, the reformer Eugen Richter and the former Grand Court Judge Bruckdorf were at work, having been commissioned just a few days before to jointly form and lead a committee that would have the task of studying nearly five hundred years' worth of legal and fiscal codes and precedents, before pruning and streamlining them into new legal and fiscal codes for a new age where all citizens from the poorest man on the street to the richest merchant and most elegant noble in their palaces would be equal in the eyes of the law, subject to its protection and punishment alike, and where all would fairly and justly pay taxes to support the nation appropriate not on their social class, but on their individual ability to do so.

However, laws needed to be enforced, and fair and objective judges to pass judgment on those who needed to be judged. As such, this new series of reforms would include – or indeed, _necessitate_ – shakeups within the Imperial Military Police and the Judiciary to ensure they would be effective.

It was for this reason that Reinhard was meeting with candidates for the post of Chief Superintendent of the Imperial Military Police. One such candidate stood before him and Kircheis, one Count Oppenheimer and a retired Vice Admiral at that. No, more than that even: prior to his retirement – _early_ retirement, due to having joined the Lippstadt League though given he'd surrendered prior to the final defeat of the league he'd been spared the worst reprisals after the war – he _had_ been the Chief Superintendent. And while his record was not particularly spectacular, neither was it particularly poor either.

Reinhard and Kircheis listened neutrally as Count Oppenheimer attempted to excuse his involvement with the Lippstadt League, in response to a question from Reinhard on whether or not it would send the wrong message to appoint a former league member to such an important post. As the man came to an end, Reinhard nodded slowly. "Very well," he said, acknowledging Oppenheimer's excuse that his only reason for joining the league was due to his blood relation with Margrave Littenheim. "I won't hold that against you. I'll consider your candidacy for MP Chief Superintendent further."

"Thank you very much." The count said with a bow, before picking up a small, brown, rectangular package by his feet. Both Reinhard and Kircheis had noticed it before, and while both had suspicions both hoped for the count's sake it wasn't what it seemed to be. "However, as a token of my appreciation I'd like to present a gift to you."

"A gift?" Reinhard echoed, while Kircheis sighed internally.

The count removed the packaging with a flourish, revealing an abstract painting of some sort. "It's a famous painting by Erlemeier."

"I have no interest in art." Reinhard remarked with veiled warning in his voice. "Take it to Mecklinger, he should know which museum it should go to."

"But, Your Excellency…"

Reinhard narrowed his eyes at the count who briefly faltered before rallying. "I…that is…" he fumbled. "This painting is for you, Your Excellency."

"Count Oppenheimer," Reinhard said sternly. "Even though you were and seek to become once more MP Chief Superintendent, it seems you don't understand what this means in the eyes of the law. Kisling!"

The doors into the Chancellor's Office opened, allowing Captain Gunther Kisling, head of the Imperial Court Guard detail for the Imperial Chancellor to enter. "Sir!" the man said with a salute. Reinhard pointed at the stunned Oppenheimer.

"Arrest Count Oppenheimer immediately!" Reinhard ordered. "The charge is attempted bribery!"

The count dropped the painting which clattered against the floor. "No…this can't be…" the man babbled in disbelief. "Don't they say you pardoned even Streit?"

By that, he referred to Commodore Arthur von Streit, a former subordinate of Duke Otto von Braunschweig and who had been captured at the very start of the Lippstadt War. Streit had impressed Reinhard early on with his quiet dedication to duty and in particular his unwillingness to harm Imperial citizens, so much so that he would advocate underhanded measures if it meant reducing collateral damage overall. Streit had been offered a post as Reinhard's subordinate, but he'd refused, on the basis of being unwilling to turn a man he'd served for years into an enemy in one night in exchange for a post. Reinhard, impressed further, had ordered him released, albeit still subject to certain punishments such as early retirement and a significant percentage of his family's wealth being confiscated.

The confiscation had been recently rescinded however, and Streit reinstated and even _promoted_ to rear admiral just a few days ago…in exchange for his accepting a renewed offer from Reinhard to become his subordinate. Specifically, that of Reinhard's adjutant.

"Streit is perceptive, resourceful, and competent. I'd have regretted it if I hadn't taken him in." Reinhard responded as the Court Guards placed handcuffs on the count. "You have nothing that interests me! Take him away!"

Kircheis stayed silent as the Court Guards took Oppenheimer away, and as the doors closed and Reinhard sank back into his seat, Kircheis turned to address him. "You are mean, Lord Reinhard." He accused. Reinhard glanced curiously at him.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"You suspected Count Oppenheimer would try and bribe you, did you not?" Kircheis pointed out. "And yet you strung him along only to arrest him in the end. Didn't Lady Annerose teach us not to play with our food?"

Reinhard laughed. "I wasn't playing with my food." He said. "But yes, I suspected Oppenheimer would try and bribe me. However, old habits die hard and thus I was willing to let it go if he was perceptive enough to notice my subtle warnings and take a lesson from them. But as he was not…"

Kircheis nodded in understanding as Reinhard trailed off. "I see your point, sir." He should. "Should I make arrangements for this matter to be disclosed as an example to the public?"

"Yes, make it so."

"Very good sir…though, it still leaves us with the post of MP Chief Superintendent unfilled."

"Hmm…" Reinhard hummed in thought as he sank back into his seat for several moments. Finally, he snapped his fingers. "We'll have Kessler do the job for us."

"Kessler?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"Not as such," Kircheis said. "It's just that Admiral Kessler is already the Capital Defense Force Commander."

"The Capital Defense Force doesn't have much to do anyway." Reinhard said with a smile. "And Kessler was originally from the Military Police. He should be able to handle both posts well enough, and do what we need him to do."

"I understand sir. I'll make the arrangements at once."

Reinhard nodded, but before further words could be said, there was a knock on the doors. "Enter." Reinhard said.

The doors opened, allowing a sub-lieutenant to enter. "Please pardon the interruption." The young man said while saluting. "I am Sub-Lieutenant Theodor von Lucke. I thought it discourteous, but as the rear admiral is absent…"

"It's fine." Reinhard interrupted with a raised hand. "Report the situation."

"Yes sir." Lucke said. "On January 16, the Eiherdorf Fleet from the larger Kempff Fleet, was engaged in combat while on patrol on the Imperial end of the Iserlohn Corridor."

"How did the battle progress?" Reinhard asked.

"While the situation was initially in our favor," Lucke continued. "Enemy reinforcements arrived and our forces were forced to retreat."

Kircheis glanced at Reinhard who was silent and still for a few moments. And then briefly closing his eyes, Reinhard smiled.

"Damn that Yang Wenli."

* * *

The fleet commanders assembled in a large meeting room, standing before a dais with a throne at one end of the room, a blue flag bearing the Goldenbaum crest hanging on the wall behind the throne. Reinhard sat on the throne, flanked by his deputy and chief of staff, Kircheis and High Admiral Paul von Oberstein respectively.

The fleet commanders who had served under Reinhard and Kircheis during the Lippstadt War had since been promoted to full admiral, with Mittermeier and Reuenthal who had been full admirals during that war both promoted to high admiral. In addition, new fleet commanders had joined their ranks, such as Admiral Adalbert von Fahrenheit. A skilled and aggressive commander, he had fought under the Lippstadt League as a vice admiral but at the end of the war had been pardoned and allowed to rejoin the Admiralty for his talents.

There was also Admiral Helmut Rennenkampff, who had once been Reinhard and Kircheis' superior officer in the past, and Admiral Ernst von Eisanach. A quiet and taciturn man, which led to his nickname of 'the Silent Admiral', his battlefield accolades are rather slim but in rear echelon and support duties not once had he ever failed in what was expected of him.

Apart from the fleet commanders, standing along the wall on either side of the dais were Reinhard's other staff officers, as well as Hildegard von Mariendorf, in her capacity as Executive Secretary to the Imperial Chancellor.

After Reinhard called the meeting to order, Admiral Karl Gustav Kempff stepped forward. "It was a fleet from my command which was defeated and forced to retreat from the battlefield." He admitted. "Though it was but a mere skirmish, it nevertheless tarnished out fleet's reputation of continued victory. I accept full responsibility."

Reinhard gestured for Kempff to stand at ease. "One hundred battles don't necessarily equate one hundred victories." Reinhard said. "Instead of passing blame, we should make up for a defeat today with victory tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Kempff said with a bow, and with a gesture from Reinhard he stepped back into the line.

* * *

High Admirals Reuenthal and Mittermeier left the meeting together, and were walking down the corridor when a bald, pudgy man turned a corner: Admiral Anton Hilmer von Shaft, Inspector-General of Research and Development. "Well, isn't this an unexpected pleasure?" the man said cheerfully. "The Twin Stars of the Empire…leaving the meeting, I assume? If so, might I ask if His Excellency the Chancellor has returned to the Chancellery?"

"The meeting's just finished," Mittermeier replied. "As far as I know His Excellency has no further business here at the Admiralty, but while he's headed back to the Chancellery, if you hurry you might still catch him."

"I see." Schaft said with a nod. "I'll humbly accept your advice. I take my leave then."

At a nod from Mittermeier and Reuenthal, Schaft went on his way, the so-called Twin Stars looking back at him as he left down the corridor. "For a vulgar man who spends most of the time locked up at the Research and Development Office," Reuenthal remarked. "He's unusually excited, isn't he?"

"Perhaps he made a big development of some sort?" Mittermeier opined. "That said, though he's been Research and Development Inspector-General for six years already, he hasn't really produced anything new except for directional Seffle particles."

Reuenthal smirked. "Perhaps the time has come for him to be hung up and out to dry then?" he asked, eliciting a smile from his friend. Driving the matter of Schaft from their minds, the Twin Stars went on their way.

* * *

"Well, what do you think of Schaft's proposal?"

As the senior staff officer in the room, Kircheis spoke first. "At first glance, Admiral Schaft's proposal has little real novelty in it." He said. "When all is said and done, it's simply the old 'All Big Guns' doctrine scaled up. That said, that might just be what's needed against Iserlohn Fortress."

Reinhard nodded, and after a moment, Kircheis continued. "However," he said. "There is no strategic reason to attack Iserlohn Fortress at this time. While I know and understood we will inevitably have to invade and conquer the Alliance in the future, at present I think it would be best to husband the Empire's strength against reactionary elements within the Empire who may potentially seek to take advantage of our currently uncertain internal stability."

"Uncertain, you say?" Reinhard echoed.

Kircheis nodded. "Yes sir." He said. "While the reforms currently underway are undoubtedly long needed by the Empire and its citizens both, we likewise cannot deny we are essentially overhauling the framework and structure of the nation. Change brings uncertainty, and uncertainty brings fear and instability."

Reinhard nodded several times. "A prudent call," he said. "What do you recommend then?"

"I would recommend that we mobilize Geiersberg Fortress as proposed," Kircheis said. "In preparation for the day when we resume the war against the Alliance. However, the attack on Iserlohn itself should be postponed until such time, as part of a greater offensive against the Alliance."

Reinhard nodded before turning to Oberstein. "And what do you think?" he asked.

"I am largely in agreement with Fleet Admiral Kircheis." Oberstein said. "However, I would also point out there are advantages in capturing Iserlohn Fortress at this time. First, it would allow us to secure a beachhead in advance for a future invasion of the Alliance. Second, by recapturing Iserlohn at this time, it would be logical to assume that the Alliance will attempt to recapture it in their turn. We may be able to use that against them, that is by using Iserlohn Fortress itself as a lure to draw Alliance forces into a trap to further whittle down their already-depleted forces."

"The same strategy could be used against us, could it not?" Reinhard asked.

"Yes," Oberstein admitted. "But our forces would be better capable of absorbing such losses, compared to the Alliance's forces."

Something flickered through Reinhard's eyes at that, and through Kircheis' own. For a long moment there was silence, save for the tapping of Reinhard's finger against his desk. Finally, he nodded.

"Very well," he said. "The decision on whether or not to attack Iserlohn Fortress will be deferred for now. However, the mobilization of Geiersberg Fortress is to begin immediately. I also consider Admiral Kempff as the man to oversee such a task, and depending on his performance thereof, as the man to command the fortress and its station fleet afterwards."

"I have nothing against Admiral Kempff being placed in command." Kircheis said. "A solid, reliable, and experienced commander, and one who is respected by the men under his command. I would think he'd perform well in such a role."

"I think so as well." Oberstein said. "However, should he become Geiersberg's commander afterwards, I would also propose a promotion to high admiral, in reflection of his role as commander of both the fortress and its station fleet. There is no need to unnecessarily divide such roles, as shown in Admirals Stockhausen and Seeckt's debacle at Iserlohn."

Reinhard nodded. "True," he said. "I will consider the matter. Summon Schaft and Kempff immediately."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

A/N

Some might wonder if perhaps, as Yang mused in the series, Kircheis' survival could lead to coexistence between the Empire and the Alliance. I won't say Yang was completely wrong, as Kircheis' influence could get Reinhard to accept such an outcome…but for one factor Yang did not and could not have known.

That fact is that Kircheis and Reinhard swore they'd conquer the known universe together. And as men of their word, they'd do just that. And there's also the question of whether or not the ultranationalist-dominated Alliance government would even consider the idea of peaceful coexistence with the Empire.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 2

"I'm surprised, to be honest." Admiral Fritz Josef Bittenfeld remarked, sitting at a table in the officer's lounge with several other fleet commanders. "It may not be my place to say so, but why Admiral Kempff? I don't have anything against the man, but wouldn't either Fleet Admiral Kircheis or High Admirals Reuenthal or Mittermeier be a better choice?"

"A better choice?" Kircheis echoed.

"That's right." Bittenfeld said with a nod. "This isn't just a matter of mobilizing Geiersberg Fortress, after all. It's only to be expected that whoever was in command of doing so, would remain in command of the fortress afterwards. And considering what a mobile fortress would be capable of on the battlefield, wouldn't it be best to put our best commanders in command for it to be most effective?"

"That much is a reasonable argument." Reuenthal said. "However, when it comes myself and Mittermeier or for that matter, Fleet Admiral Kircheis, it runs into problems."

"Problems?" Bittenfeld echoed.

"Mittermeier specializes in lightning operations." Reuenthal said. "For all its power, a mobile fortress is a slow and clumsy thing. While I'm sure Mittermeier could find a way to make it work if needed, it would largely be a waste of his talents."

"I'm just no good when it comes to things like that." Mittermeier admitted with a shrug and a smile, leading to agreeing laughs around the table. "As for Reuenthal and Fleet Admiral Kircheis…well, it's as you say, Bittenfeld. They're our best commanders. And in order for them to do their best, they'll need maximum possible tactical freedom within operational and strategic limits. Which brings us back to Reuenthal's argument: for all its power, a mobile fortress is a slow and clumsy thing."

"Admiral Kempff is a solid and reliable commander." Kircheis added. "He sizes opportunities up well, and uses his forces prudently. However, he's also our oldest, and most experienced commander. Put another way, and nothing against him, he's also the most conservative commander we have."

"In short," Admiral Neidhart Muller said. "He's best suited when it comes character-wise to command Geiersberg Fortress. Is that it?"

Kircheis, Mittermeier, and Reuenthal nodded, and Muller smiled before taking a drink. "That said," he began. "I imagine our dear chief of staff might also have other reasons to oppose the appointment of any of you three as Geiersberg's commander, in the event the attack on Iserlohn goes through."

"Indeed," Reuenthal agreed, swirling the wine in his glass as he did so. "Fleet Admiral Kircheis' promotion, while well-earned, already runs counter against his inclinations against a 'number two'. If Mittermeier and myself were to distinguish ourselves further, or indeed, Fleet Admiral Kircheis himself, it might prove problematic in his eyes. Potential rivals as it were, not against him, but against Prince Lohengramm himself."

Kircheis stayed quiet, unwilling to risk saying anything that could cause a misunderstanding. Despite his personal distrust for the man, Oberstein's opposition to his status as Reinhard's deputy had merit, or rather the argument against a number two position. While Reinhard had since made it clear that nothing would change the fact that Kircheis was his chief retainer, Kircheis was all too aware that such a status could easily turn into a liability for himself, or indeed and more importantly to Reinhard himself.

In particular, Kircheis could not allow himself to be seen as being able to make decisions on behalf of Reinhard beyond that of his official responsibilities, or his opinions being seen as Reinhard's own. When all was said and done, he was Reinhard's chief retainer, and not Reinhard himself, for all Reinhard's past statements that they were one and the same, two halves of the same person.

To do so would only undermine Reinhard's authority, and thus hinder him from reaching his goal. And that was something Kircheis would not allow himself, or anyone else for that matter, to do.

"Speaking of personnel assignments though," Muller was saying. "So it's true then that His Excellency changed adjutants again?"

"Ah yes," Reuenthal said. "Feldwebel was missing earlier wasn't he? And if I wasn't mistaken, wasn't that old Commodore Streit there? No…it's rear admiral now, isn't it?"

" _Rear Admiral_ Feldwebel was reassigned to another post at the Admiralty." Kircheis said. "Lord Reinhard believed his talents, while suitable for his rank, were better put to work elsewhere. Commodore Streit however, with his previous record and recognized skills at organization, was recalled from retirement and appointed to the post while being promoted to a suitable rank."

"It's a bold decision, wasn't it?" Mittermeier asked, but Kircheis just shrugged in reply. Bittenfeld snorted contemptuously though.

"And what of Oberstein?" he asked. "How did he take the news? I imagine he brought up reservations on the matter."

"Actually, no." Kircheis said. "He accepted it without objection."

Reuenthal chuckled with amusement. "Commodore Streit," he said. "A former and more importantly a _misguided_ subordinate of the late and unlamented Duke Braunschweig, has bent knee before Prince Lohengramm…I have no doubt he considers the political benefit as outweighing all other concerns."

This was met with nods all around, and another snort from Bittenfeld. "Speaking of the chief of staff though," Muller began. "Did you know? It was last year, but it seems he's picked up a stray dog from in front of the Admiralty."

Bittenfeld, who had been in the middle of drinking from his wineglass, immediately choked and spluttered in shock and surprise. "A dog?" he managed to say, while wiping at his chin. "Oberstein?"

"Yes," Muller said with a nod. "An old Dalmatian, apparently. But the dog is impudent and won't eat anything but boiled chicken, and so I hear the chief of staff has no choice but to go and buy meat in the middle of the night."

Mittermeier and Reuenthal exchanged a glance that carried an entire conversation in an instant, while Bittenfeld swirled his wine before draining his glass all at once. "So while our chief of staff is hated by people, he's loved by a dog?" he asked. "As fellow dogs, they probably hit it off!"

Kircheis looked mildly reproving but ultimately said nothing as Muller and Reuenthal gave amused smiles, while Mittermeier just shrugged helplessly.

* * *

"So you're also opposed to attacking Iserlohn at this time, Fraulein?"

Reinhard, Kircheis, and one Hildegard 'Hilda' von Mariendorf rode together in a black automobile through the Imperial City's streets at night. "I know we have to destroy the Alliance," Hilda said. "But an attack on Iserlohn at this time offers no meaningful benefit for us. While it's true we've more than just recovered financially from last year's civil war, society has yet to settle down, even more so given the impact of the recent reforms, no matter how long overdue they are. It simply would be best to devote our energies and resources to internal affairs at this time."

"So you say," Reinhard said. "But if that's the case, I could simply leave it to my subordinates, while I remain here on Odin."

"But, Your Excellency…"

Reinhard raised a hand, and turned to Kircheis. "And what about you, Kircheis?" he asked. "Are you still opposed to attacking Iserlohn at this time?"

"I am." Kircheis said with a nod. "For all the benefits previously pointed out by Admiral Oberstein, those would only be the case if we succeed in capturing the fortress."

"Oh?" Reinhard asked with a smile. "You don't think we can capture the fortress? Even if you were in command of Geiersberg Fortress?"

"If I were in command, then I would simply ram Geiersberg Fortress into Iserlohn." Kircheis said, earning a gasp from Hilda, and a laugh from Reinhard. "That would be the quickest, and for our forces, easiest way to neutralize Iserlohn. Assuming both fortresses would be destroyed, we could then simply build another fortress in the corridor, or, if one or the other fortress survived the impact, repair them. Either way though, the cost of building a new fortress, or repairing a critically-damaged one, would cancel out the benefits, unless we invaded Alliance territory immediately in the aftermath, in which case either building a new fortress or repairing one would by strategic necessity, be left after the campaign's conclusion."

Reinhard nodded in agreement. "I concede the point." He said. "But that's only if either you or I were in command. However, in this scenario, Kempff would likely be in command. And the order would not be to neutralize the fortress, but to capture it. Then what?"

"Admiral Kempff is a skilled and reliable commander." Kircheis said. "However, Iserlohn is commanded by the greatest commander the Alliance has ever produced."

"Yang Wen-li?" Reinhard asked, and Kircheis nodded.

"With all due respect to our fleet commanders," he said. "I do not think most of them could do better than stalemating Yang Wen-li for a time, and that's only in the best case scenario."

"That's a rather sad assessment of the situation." Reinhard remarked. "But I trust your judgment, and it does seem to be prudent, which would be wise, when it comes to that trickster. But I also notice you mentioned 'most' of our commanders. Who do you think then, could defeat Yang Wen-li among them?"

"Admirals Mittermeier and Reuenthal could do it, by working together." Kircheis answered. "The same would go for both of us, Lord Reinhard."

"Indeed," Reinhard said with a slow nod. "That said, I think you undervalue yourself, Kircheis. If it were you, I have no doubt Yang Weng-li would stand no chance."

"You shouldn't lower yourself to flattery, Lord Reinhard." Kircheis chided, and Reinhard chuckled before falling silent. He stared out at streets of the Imperial City streaking past for a while, and then turned back to Kircheis.

"What is it?" he asked. "Go ahead and say what you want to say."

"…it is…inappropriate…" Kircheis said. "Furthermore, it is a rather biased argument, if it can even be called that, against attacking Iserlohn Fortress at this time."

"Oh?" Reinhard asked, his curiosity piqued. "Just say what's on your mind, Kircheis."

"Do you remember the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn, Lord Reinhard?" Kircheis asked. "Do you remember what you said to me at the end of the battle? You said that you wouldn't carry out useless battles such as that which had just been concluded, that you wouldn't allow soldiers to die meaninglessly, and that while we could not avoid losses to reach our goal, you wouldn't throw away lives for futile causes."

Reinhard reeled back as though struck, and narrowing his eyes looked out the windows. "I apologize, Your Excellency." Kircheis said with a bow. "I spoke out of turn."

"No," Reinhard said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "You said what needed to be said. And you were right to say it. I did say so at the time…and it seems the time has come for me to live up to my own words. Very well…as you say, there's no point in attacking Iserlohn at this time, so we won't. That said, Geiersberg's mobilization should continue, and I'll announce my final decision only once the former is done."

Kircheis and Hilda bowed, and Reinhard smiled before looking back out the windows.

* * *

Rupert Kesselring, Executive Secretary to the Territorial Lord, entered the office of the Territorial Lord with his usual air of quiet smugness. "Looking after the bishop is quite a pain, isn't it?" he asked, referencing the previous visitor to the office, a Bishop Degsby from the Earth Cult.

"Quite," Adrian Rubinsky, Fifth Territorial Lord of the Dominion of Fezzan remarked. "Fanatics of any ideology are hard to manage. Especially when they have no sense of enjoyment in their lives."

Rubinsky paused, and then began to pour himself a drink. "It's been thousands of years now," he began. "But there was a time when the Christians succeeded in usurping the Roman Empire after brainwashing their leaders with religion. And with that example in mind, the plan to have the Empire and the Alliance bring each other down was born."

"Reforms are already well underway in the Empire." Kesselring remarked. "The great Lohengramm Dynasty has already been born: it is no longer a question of if, but when that fact becomes clear for all to see. And I strongly doubt it is possible for this new dynasty to suffer mutual annihilation alongside the Alliance."

"Even if there is mutual annihilation," Rubinsky darkly said. "The only result would be complete anarchy. Both time and a powerful military will be needed to contain it, and the latter would likely not exist in such a situation. But it doesn't look as though the cult's leaders understand that."

"Hence Your Excellency's plan to gain financial control of the new dynasty, and in so doing gain a fair share of its power." Kesselring concluded. "However, such a plan would not fulfil the Earth Cult's goal of uniting Humanity under their theocracy."

"That goes without saying." Rubinsky said. "You heard his objections. But, who would want to see the Grand Bishop rule in the Emperor's place? Have you ever heard of the crusades? They were wars wherein the Christians brutally and mercilessly oppressed and killed the followers of other religions. I won't allow such hideous barbarity to ever be repeated. And as part of that, put the next step of our plan into action immediately."

"Of course," Kesselring said with a nod. "However about that…"

"What is it?" Rubinsky asked.

"Work on the mobilization of Geiersberg Fortress is well underway, and is clearly intended to proceed to completion." Kesselring said. "However, Prince Lohengramm has deferred the decision to attack Iserlohn. If he ultimately decides against attacking, and merely mobilizes Geiersberg for use in the future, then is there any point in continuing with the plan to have the Alliance government get Yang Wen-li out of the way at Iserlohn?"

"A valid concern, but an unnecessary one." Rubinsky said. "Our ultimate objective remains clear, and that is to speed up the Alliance's own self-destruction, thus opening the door for Prince Lohengramm to conquer it from without. Let us sow the seeds for the Alliance government to distrust their own benefactor, no matter how much longer it seems winter will continue, in preparation for the springtime to come."

Kesselring smiled with amusement at Rubinsky's bit of poetry. "I understand." he said with a nod. "I'll speak with the Alliance Commissioner as soon as possible, and arrange things as per the predetermined plan."

Rubinsky nodded, and without another word Kesselring left the office.

* * *

Reinhard was having dinner with Hilda and Kircheis when a report arrived from Freya Starzone, where Geiersberg Fortress was located and work was underway to mobilize said fortress. In addition to reporting the progress made so far, it also brought with it a request for additional personnel to be dispatched to work on the fortress, if mobilization was to be completed on schedule.

"Very well," Reinhard said, handing the reports over to Kircheis. "I'll authorize the requested reinforcements. Even if there's no pressing need to complete mobilization on schedule, let's do so regardless, if only on principle."

As Sub-Lieutenant Lucke left to relay his orders, Reinhard turned back to his fellow diners. "Warp is a complicated thing," he said. "Especially when it comes to this matter. If done improperly, the fortress might just vanish into null space, never to be seen again, or simply be reduced to its component atoms."

"Admiral Schaft seems to be quite confident that it can be done, however." Kircheis said, while handing the reports to Hilda across the table.

"The difficulty of his proposal lies in the application, and not in the proposal itself." Reinhard stressed. "He shouldn't be so full of himself this early."

"Admiral Kempff is doing well." Hilda remarked while handing the reports back to Reinhard, who set them down beside him on the table. "I can only hope he succeeds. If he fails, then it's likely we'll lose a very capable admiral."

"As do I," Reinhard said with a sigh. "Though it's not just Kempff I'm worried about. There are already over sixty thousand men at work at the fortress, and once these additional personnel arrive, well over a hundred thousand will be there. And they will be there, when the warp engine test begins. If things go wrong…"

"Lord Reinhard…" Kircheis said softly.

Reinhard sighed again before adopting a stern expression. "If this operation fails," he said. "I'll have that man take responsibility for it."

"Perhaps there's an idea there for Admiral Schaft to gain further incentive to put his all into the mobilization." Kircheis pointed out.

Reinhard blinked and then laughed. "Yes," he said, raising his wineglass to moisten his lips. "There is that indeed. We'll have him stay aboard the fortress during the warp engine test, and inform him in advance. That should get him to be humbler about his current situation."

"Should I relay the order then, Lord Reinhard?"

"Yes, but _after_ dinner, Kircheis." Reinhard said with a smile. "As admirable as your hardworking character is, there's no need to take it too far either, Kircheis."

Kircheis gave a small bow. "Yes, Lord Reinhard." He said.

* * *

While the additional personnel were quickly approved, it would still take them a month to be mustered and then taken to Geiersberg. Work proceeded in the meantime, however, and hastened after their arrival.

Nearly two months after the request for additional personnel was dispatched, and preparations were finally done for Geiersberg's first sub-light engine test.

"The Sub-light engine test will begin in twenty-five seconds." The report came from below the fortress' command deck, Admiral Kempff sitting on the commander's chair accompanied by his command staff and the nervous Inspector-General of Research and Development.

Kempff had taken Reinhard's orders to Schaft to be aboard the fortress for the warp engine test to heart, and had transferred his flag to Geiersberg well ahead of said test, and…persuading, Schaft to do likewise. In so doing, Kempff hoped to provide an example for the men under their command, demonstrating his confidence in the success of their given task.

"Move the engineering ships out of the fortress' path."

"T-minus twenty seconds."

"Course is clear."

"T-minus fifteen seconds."

"Final confirmation."

"Ten seconds until ignition."

"As soon as the sub-light engine test is completed," Kempff ordered. "We'll immediately begin preparations for the warp engine test."

"W-w-well in that case I…I'll have engineering ships proceed to the target zone after the test." Schaft stammered out. Kempff and his chief of staff shared a glance, but decided to let the matter go.

"Ignition!"

Eyes turned to the tactical display at that, smaller sub-screens showing an external view relayed by the ships outside. Geiersberg's new engines flared with red-hot plasma and which quickly turned white-hot…and then gasps and cheers of awe and triumph went up as Geiersberg could be seen and even _felt_ moving.

"We're moving!"

"Velocity is at two thousand kilometers per hour…five thousand kilometers…eight thousand kilometers…"

"The acceleration vector is nominal. The error of the specific output curve is at plus or minus oh point oh three per cent. Synchronization accuracy is within oh point one microseconds."

"It's perfect." Kempff nodded.

"Congratulations, sir." His chief of staff said, and Kempff nodded again.

* * *

"The Alliance government has temporarily recalled Admiral Yang to Heinessen to hold an official inquiry."

"Inquiry?" Rubinsky echoed. "Not a military court-martial?"

"If he was court-martialed," Kesselring began. "Then he would have to be officially charged, and he would also have the right to a lawyer. Thus, a psychological lynching based purely on suspicion and conjecture would be more effective measure than a public court-martial."

"It's something that perfectly suits those who currently lead the Alliance, doesn't it?" Rubinsky asked with a smile. "For all that they trumpet democracy, their abuse of the letter of laws and regulations reduce it to a mere formality. It's a cunning, but dangerous way of doing things. After all, if those with power have no obligation to follow the law, then society itself begins to reflect their example."

"That is their problem, and no concern of ours." Kesselring immediately replied. "Those who hold unearned power will sooner or later have to defend their claim to it. And those who cannot defend it and thus lose it, are not limited to the Goldenbaum Dynasty."

Rubinsky silently glared at Kesselring for several moments, and then folded his hands over his desk. Finally, he tapped the desk a few times with a finger. "Executive Secretary," he said. "We have many other things that need doing other than discussing philosophy. First, it's good that we've managed to convince Count Remscheid to support our plan, however its application has to be carefully considered if we are to get Prince Lohengramm to follow our lead."

"Forgive me," Kesselring said. "As you say, we must proceed with care here, lest we be the ones to dance to Prince Lohengramm's tune, and not the other way around. And that is the best case scenario. In the worst-case, Prince Lohengramm may feel sufficiently threatened to take direct action against us. While we can make preparations for such an eventuality, it would still be best to avoid coming to such a point in the first place."

Rubinsky nodded his agreement. "In any case," Kesselring continued. "Planning is still underway, so there is still ample time left. And I have already been considering candidates for the individual to be entrusted with the actual task of carrying out the key part of the plan. I should be able to report to you on the matter within the week."

"Very well."

* * *

"There is no novelty whatsoever in Schaft's plan." Reuenthal remarked as he and Mittermeier had coffee in the waiting area outside of the Joint Chiefs' offices. Said offices were largely unused now, given Reinhard having all their authorities and responsibilities as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, but the area was still preferred by the Twin Stars to take a break in, given their offices in the Admiralty were just a short walk away. "Isn't it just the old 'All Big Guns' doctrine scaled up?"

"But it might just be what's needed against Iserlohn." Mittermeier pointed out.

"Perhaps," Reuenthal conceded, while pulling some stray strands of hair from in front of his eyes. "That said however, responsibility or not, Kempff is quite hardworking, isn't he?"

"I could care less about him or Schaft right now." Mittermeier said. "What I'm worried about is Prince Lohengramm. Or rather, the decision he might make on whether or not to attack Iserlohn at this time. You know as well as I do that decision was deferred back when the order to mobilize Geiersberg was given, but now that the mobilization is all but complete, it can't be deferred for much longer."

"Yes," Reuenthal said with a nod. "It could be quite the problem, isn't it? For all that Schaft trumpets its – potential – technical milestones, it's still a fact that he has no combat experience whatsoever."

"And that's what I'm worried about." Mittermeier said. "Who knows what might happen on the battlefield? If we attack Iserlohn and the Alliance isn't defeated, then it's likely it'll all be for nothing. And that will not be of any good to us, or to Prince Lohengramm for that matter."

Reuenthal nodded in agreement, and silently lifted his coffee cup to take a drink. Mittermeier did likewise, the Twin Stars sitting in silence for several moments. "Do you remember?" Mittermeier suddenly asked. "It was here, right here, where we first encountered Prince Lohengramm and Fleet Admiral Kircheis, though the prince still held the name Musel at the time."

"Oh yes," Reuenthal said with a nod. "…the Battle of Van Fleet, wasn't it? Four years…it's been quite a while…"

 _"Who's that?"_

 _Captain Wolfgang Mittermeier glanced at his friend and then towards the direction he was looking in, and smiled at the sight of a blonde rear admiral and his redheaded adjutant. "Oh," he said. "That's Commodore Reinhard von Musel. No, it's rear admiral now. Seeing as he's only eighteen, it's quite a big deal."_

 _"Indeed," Captain Oskar von Reuenthal said. "So he's the one the high nobles have been recently referring to as the 'Blonde Brat'?"_

 _"And what do you think of the 'Blonde Brat'?" Mittermeier asked._

 _"There's an old saying," Reuenthal replied. "That a tiger cub may be mistaken for a cat."_

 _"And when you look at Reinhard von Musel," Mittermeier pressed. "Is he a tiger or a cat?"_

 _"Probably a tiger," Reuenthal said without hesitation. "Because the enemy is under no obligation to lose just because he's the brother of the Emperor's mistress."_

Mittermeier replaced his empty coffee cup on its saucer. "There's no doubt now," he said with a small smile. "That he's a tiger."

"No," Reuenthal disagreed to Mittermeier's surprise. "He's a lion."

"Indeed," Mittermeier said in agreement. "The lion is the king of the jungle, after all."

A polite cough caught the Twin Stars' attention, and had them standing to attention immediately, as emerging from the corridor leading to the Joint Chiefs' offices was the one person who still used them, in his capacity as Deputy Space Fleet Commander. Fleet Admiral Kircheis, and who'd heard at least a part of their conversation, if the amused expression on his face was any indication.

"Good evening, gentlemen." The redhead said as he approached, accompanied by his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Hans Edouard Bergengrun, and returning their salutes. "That was quite an interesting conversation, at least the part that I unintentionally overheard. My apologies for my rudeness."

"Fleet Admiral Kircheis," Mittermeier began. "We…that is…"

Kircheis laughed and waved it off. "It's no problem at all, gentlemen." He said. "Rest assured, I will be discreet. Though, even if I were not, I'm sure Prince Lohengramm would not be offended at all, and indeed, would likely be amused instead."

Mittermeier and Reuenthal shared a glance between them. "In any case," Kircheis said. "Shall we go and join in viewing Geiersberg's warp engine test?"

"Of course." Mittermeier said, and Reuenthal nodded.

"After you, Fleet Admiral Kircheis."

Kircheis nodded, and led the way to the Admiralty Command Center, where Reinhard and others would be viewing Geiersberg's warp engine test.

* * *

"Expected warp out in forty-five seconds."

"The warp out point in the Valhalla Starzone is displayed on the main screen."

Reinhard acknowledged Kircheis, Reuenthal, and Mittermeier's salutes, and Kircheis took his place at Reinhard's right while the Twin Stars took their place among the fleet commanders present. "Come to think of it," Mittermeier softly remarked. "Schaft's on Geiersberg with Kempff, isn't he?"

"It would be most unlike him, isn't it?" Reuenthal answered with a smirk. "Shame…but such was Prince Lohengramm's orders."

Mittermeier chuckled but quickly fell silent. "But," he said. "Will that huge fortress really appear in that sector of space?"

"Who knows?" Reuenthal said. "In the end, until it does, it's still just a question of _if_ it will succeed."

"Either way, it's going to be quite a spectacle to watch," Mittermeier said with a smile that quickly turned grim. "But…"

The Gale Wolf quickly fell silent as the final countdown began, eyes fixed along with everyone else's on the main screen of the command center. As the countdown reached zero, there was a brief shimmer on the screen, and then Geiersberg Fortress appeared seemingly out of nowhere, having warped out successfully. Gasps and breaths of relief echoed through the command center, mingling with the reports from the controller personnel.

"The fortress and the surrounding area of space show no signs of abnormalities."

"The vulture has spread its wings." Muller whispered in awe.

Reuenthal and Mittermeier shared a glance, and turned to Reinhard, who risen from his throne and stepped forward at the success. With the warp engine test complete and successful, the fortress, it's station fleet of sixteen thousand ships, and between them total personnel count of two million men were now ready to be dispatched to the Iserlohn Corridor at any time.

As of March 13, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489, the question was, would they?

* * *

A/N

Well, here's Rubinsky, and his Smug Snake of a son Kesselring. Fezzan plots and plots, though while I'll admit a lot of the dialogue is lifted from canon – both Fezzani and Imperial – there are subtle changes all throughout. Hence no POVs from the Alliance yet. No changes so far there.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 3

 _April, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

"Do you know what is the most cowardly and shameful thing a Human being can do? It's when powerful people, and the people who flatter them, trumpet the glory of war while hiding in safety, and on the pretext of patriotism and self-sacrifice send others to die in battle. If we're to talk about lasting peace for the known universe, then before continuing this pointless war with the Empire, we should start by getting rid of such disgusting parasites!"

Defense Secretary Negroponte's face was the very picture of outraged fury. "You refer to us as parasites?" he demanded.

Admiral Yang Wen-li smirked up from where he was sitting before the Inquiry Committee, arms and legs crossed comfortably. "Could I be referring to anyone else?" he asked, and causing the defense secretary to angrily hammer his gavel before him.

"This unjustifiable contempt and rudeness absolutely exceeds the bounds of imagination!" he raged before rising and pointing accusingly at Yang. "It cannot be helped but to acknowledge that it undoubtedly indicts your very character, and requiring further extension of this inquiry!"

It took all of Yang's self-control not to roll his eyes at the utter emptiness of the dignity the secretary was trying to project with his big and heavy words…to say nothing of the thinly-veiled admission that the inquiry was nothing more than an attempt to intimidate him into either fawning on the government bigwigs or to manipulate him into doing or saying something that they could twist and send him to court for. Even then however, Yang's patience was almost at an end, though he did decide to at least try and resolve things otherwise before being forced to use his last resort.

"I'd like to raise an objection…" he began, only to be silenced by the secretary's furious hammering of his gavel.

"You are forbidden to speak!" the secretary shouted.

"On what grounds?" Yang demanded back.

"There's no need for me to explain! Comply with discipline!" The secretary curtly snapped, and Yang likewise snapped on the inside.

"Can't I just get you to plainly order me to resign?" Yang retorted. "I've had enough, so I'm saying this here and now! As part of my responsibilities, I've been patient with this, but people have their limits too! Therefore, with or without a formal request or order on your part, I hereby tender my resignation, effective immediately!"

Gasps echoed across the room, as the committee had not expected this outcome, even more as Yang pulled out his letter of resignation and threw it on the ground in front of them. "Furthermore," Yang continued. "As a free citizen of the Free Planets Alliance, I hereby invoke my right to silence, until such time I am formally charged with a crime that goes against the laws and regulations of this democratic nation, and I am allowed to meet and speak with a legal representative of my choice."

Dead, utter silence fell in the chamber, the members of the committee just gaping at the angry and silent admiral – _former_ admiral – in front of them. With one exception: Labor Secretary Hwang Lewi shook his head, and after glancing once around him, addressed Yang with a cough.

"Admiral…no, Mister Yang," he said. "I understand how you might feel, but I can't help but wonder if you're making this decision with haste."

Yang turned his head to glance at Hwang with a veiled expression of sad resolve on his face, and the labor secretary knew that Yang wasn't backing down on this decision. " _Shortsighted fools,_ " he lamented. " _I can only pray we're not signing the Alliance's death warrant with this._ "

Hwang coughed again before addressing the committee with a disarming smile. "Gentlemen," he said. "It may be that tempers have been frayed given the small confines of the chamber, to say nothing of the close examination required of the inquiry and the one being inquired to. Perhaps a small break is called for, for all of us."

There were murmurs of assent and nods all around, and after a few moments the committee filed out, Hwang bringing up the rear to glance at Yang, who just closed his eyes and lowered his head. Hwang sighed and shook his head.

 _This is a nightmare._

* * *

"What is there to say or do?" Hwang said as he met with the other committee members in the other room. "We've forced Yang's hand, and now he's tendered his resignation. The only thing left to do would be to accept it and at least come out of this with some small measure of face left to us."

"Forced his hand?" one committee member echoed before erupting in anger. "That impudent greenhorn needs to learn his place! Who does he think he is?"

"A hero who saved two million people." Hwang said at once. "A miracle worker who captured the enemy fortress from which attacks have been launched against our nation for decades without spilling a single drop of our forces' blood. The man who saved the Alliance Space Fleet from complete destruction at Amritsar. A patriot who upheld the nation's democratic ideals and protected them against our own rebellious troops."

Uncomfortable silence settled across the committee. "Imagine if he hadn't done any of that," Hwang continued while folding his hands before him. "The last one in particular. If not for that 'impudent greenhorn', we'd be rotting in jail as political prisoners or maybe even just shot as potential troublemakers by Greenhill and his men. We certainly wouldn't have the time to play judge in this place, here and now. You can't deny it: he's our benefactor. And yet for the past few days, we've been persecuting him ungratefully."

"…but…isn't his attitude too disrespectful to his superiors?"

"Superiors?" Hwang echoed in surprise. "Do politicians like us really deserve that adjective? When you think about it, we don't really contribute anything of substance to society. All we do is oversee tax collection and spending, and are paid to do just that. As he said, we're parasites."

"But…" Negroponte said, wiping at his suddenly sweaty face. "To simply accept his resignation…that's just…"

"Then what do you want to do?" Hwang asked. "Refuse and order him back to his post? What if he refuses? Will you court-martial him for insubordination? That option's certainly on the table, but remember, we can't keep it secret, unlike this little inquiry of ours."

Hwang smiled slightly as the blood drained from Negroponte and Dean Oliveira's faces. The resulting public scandal would be outrageous, to say the least. "Of course," he said. "There's the option to indefinitely extend this inquiry…but do we really have the time for it? At least two of us here are High Council members, and we have other, more important things to do than play judge. And more important than that…what if the Empire finds out Yang isn't at Iserlohn anymore?"

The labor secretary paused to let _that_ sink in. "If the Empire attacks to take advantage of that fact," he began. "What should we do? Oh I'm sure we can count on old man Bewcock if it comes down to it…but then, people will start asking questions won't they, on where is 'Miracle Yang' in all of that."

"But…" Negroponte began. "Isn't that even more reason not to accept his letter of resignation?"

"What?" Hwang said with a smile. "If the Empire attack in the future, and we accept his letter of resignation _now_ and let Yang cool off for a bit, then we can probably count on that same old man Bewcock to convince him to return to the military then. But, if we keep up the pressure like this, up until it's clear we can't keep him in here any longer _and **need him**_ somewhere else…like say against the Empire…"

Hwang paused and coldly looked at Negroponte. "Who's to say he won't just leave us to the Empire's mercy to avenge himself?" Hwang asked. "And I'm sure Prince Lohengramm would treat him quite well. What a propaganda coup and moral victory it would be, the Empire 'rescuing' Miracle Yang from internal persecution at the hands of his own government."

The labor secretary then favored the pale and shaking defense secretary with a smile and a shrug to take the edge off, though it was clear the point had managed to get through.

* * *

Despite Hwang's words, the defense secretary made one attempt to salvage the breach between the Alliance government and Yang Wen-li. "Admiral Yang," the defense secretary worriedly began, sweating heavily as he took in the sight of Yang before him.

Yang had removed his uniform jacket and beret, and was just sitting there in his button down shirt and tie over uniform trousers, with no rank or military identifiers anywhere. A clear sign that he was serious about his resignation, his contempt for the inquiry, and his unwillingness to back down any further.

"Admiral Yang," Negroponte repeated. "I…that is…we…perhaps we might have been too harsh with our words. But surely you understand…I…that is we…we were just performing our duty as public officials…that is to find and resolve any and all suspicions that could undermine the dignity and proper authority of the nation…surely it wasn't too much to ask for you to perform your duty likewise as a public official…"

Yang stayed silent, just staring up at the defense secretary who mopped at his face with a kerchief.

"I…that is…" Negroponte fumbled to try and continue to speak. "I…I love my country in my own way, and I'm sure so do you, or am I wrong?"

Again, Yang stayed silent, looking on as the defense secretary swallowed dryly and again mopped at his face. Other committee members weren't as agitated as Negroponte was, but save for Hwang they were all clearly finding it difficult to maintain their composure. As for Hwang…

…he just looked on sadly and unhappily, hiding his expression with hands folded in front of his face.

"Then…" Negroponte continued. "…we…we should cooperate…work…hand in hand…to protect this nation, should we not?"

Yang stayed silent and defiant, and Negroponte mopped his face again.

"T-t-the government," he said. "The government will…do its best, to reward your efforts afterwards so…"

Yang finally broke his gaze, closing his eyes and lowering his head, but after a moment, he sat back, clearly intending to relax as best he could until he was either released or received the legal representative he'd demanded earlier. Gasps and muttering broke out and eyes turned to a shocked and shaken Negroponte, while Hwang shook his head.

"A-Admiral Yang…I…that is…" Negroponte said before sighing and clenching his fists. "I…the Department of Defense…accepts your letter of resignation."

At that, Yang opened his eyes, and looked up at Negroponte for several moments before he got up with a sigh. "Then," Yang said slowly, slinging his uniform jacket and beret over an arm and placing his letter of resignation on his seat. "I'm free to go, am I not?"

"Y-y-yes…you may go…"

Yang nodded, still with no sign of what he felt on his face, and departed in silence.

* * *

"We were merely following your instructions on how to conduct the inquiry!" Negroponte protested before High Council Chairman Job Trunicht. "But, there was no way any of us could have foreseen that former Admiral Yang would have resorted to such a measure, or that he would even be forced to that point."

"That much is true," Trunich said slowly from behind his desk in his office at the High Council Building. "But, perhaps this might be for the best, in hindsight."

"For the best?" Negroponte echoed in confusion.

"The inquiry was going nowhere, from the sound of things." Trunicht said. "And Hwang's points largely make sense, in particular those with regard to a potential Imperial attack, or the fact that court-martialing Yang would be difficult if not impossible to cover up or spin, and indefinitely detaining him…"

Trunich paused to swivel his chair sideways and getting up, walked over to the windows to look out over Heinessenpolis. "I'm not sure if you know," he said. "But Rebello's been poking around and stirring things up to try and get Yang out for some time now."

"Rebello?" Negroponte echoed. "Then, we…!"

Trunicht silenced the defense secretary with a glance, and turned back out the windows. "Rebello is too well-connected," he said. "Too well-known, and even too _useful_ to make a determined enemy out of. 'Leave well enough alone' is such a thing."

"…yes sir, my apologies…"

"In any case," Trunicht said, turning back to Negroponte. "With regard to Yang's resignation, we can conceal the details with the excuse that it pertains to matters of national security, and if he tries speaking to the press himself…well, that excuse or pretext can be quite a versatile thing, isn't it?"

"…well, yes…"

Trunicht nodded while returning to his desk. "That said," he continued while sitting down. "It doesn't solve the problem of Yang potentially entering politics and thus becoming a rival to us."

"No sir."

"Hmm…" Trunicht hummed in thought before smiling after several moments. "In that case, begin putting together ideas for a bill to be introduced to the Assembly, prohibiting retired military officers from running for office."

Negroponte blinked in surprise, and then smiled in understanding. "Yes sir, right away." He said. "But…"

"What?"

"What of our…allies, in the military?" Negroponte pointed out. "They…"

"Keep them in mind, then." Trunicht said. "How you accommodate the people we can count on as being in our interests, while still dealing with the issue of Yang, is entirely up to you. I won't have to worry about being disappointed on this, will I?"

"No, sir." Negroponte said with a bow. "Of course not. But speaking of allies, what of Yang's own allies and subordinates in the military?"

"Well now," Trunicht said with a dangerous smile. "Shouldn't that be your responsibility? You are the secretary of defense, after all. The military is under your authority, isn't it? Or perhaps my administration could use a new defense secretary?"

"No sir, of course not! I will make sure to deal with them as needed!"

Trunicht nodded. "Very well," he said. "Oh and one more thing. Place Yang under surveillance. _Discreetly_ , Negroponte, there's no need for soldiers to be seen on guard outside his house, shadowing him wherever he goes, much less keeping him under effective house arrest. We wouldn't want people to start asking awkward questions, even if Yang himself doesn't say a thing, would we?"

"No, sir, of course not." Negroponte agreed. "We'll just be keeping an eye on him, that's all.

Trunicht nodded, and with a wave of a hand, dismissed Negroponte. The defense secretary gave a polite bow, and left.

* * *

"In a time when people are losing faith in their government," Treasury Secretary Joao Rebello said, sitting with and having coffee with Yang and company at the White Deer restaurant. "There's this high-ranking officer, with both influence and popularity. In short, _you_ , Admiral Yang, for all that you've resigned your commission just recently. And it's a very dangerous situation for a democratic nation. You could even say it's the perfect conditions for the rise of a dictator."

"That's…something of an exaggeration, I'm sure." Yang cautiously hazarded.

"No, it's not." Rebello pressed. "In fact, it's the exact same situation in the Galactic Federation over five hundred years ago. If worse comes to worst, then it's perfectly possible for you to become the second coming of Rudolf von Goldenbaum."

"Now wait just a minute!" Yang protested. "I don't want any power! If I did, I would have had any number of opportunities during last year's coup d'état. But, even so…"

Yang broke off as Rebello raised his hand. "I like to think so too." He said. "But, people change. Before Rudolf gained power, he was nothing more than a young and opinionated reformer filled with energy and determination. But once he had, everything completely changed. In a matter of steps, he completed the path from simple self-affirmation to self-deification."

"So," Yang asked. "If I had power, do you think I would be the same?"

"I don't know." Rebello answered honestly. "I can only pray that the day doesn't come when the only choices left to you are to be swept away by those with power…or to follow in Rudolf's footsteps, if only to stay alive. In fact, it can even be said that you've already taken your first step on his path, resigning at the height of your military career…and in so doing, freeing yourself of the legal restriction that active military officers cannot seek a government post outside of the military."

Yang narrowed his eyes at that, and Rebello rose to his feet. "No," he said. "It seems I've said too much. Please accept my apologies, and in any case, it's getting late, and we should probably go home. It might be best too, to talk about this matter some other time, after things have settled down, and in more private locations too. Well then…"

With a polite nod, Rebello took his leave, Yang and company following him with their eyes until he'd left the restaurant. "So," Admiral Alexander Bewcock, the Alliance Space Fleet Commander asked. "What will you do now?"

"What can I do?" Yang asked. "I've resigned my commission, so I guess that makes me unemployed. But…what else could I have done? Let them keep walking all over me and talk down at me? Give me a break…since when did citizens of a free country just have to quietly take shit like that…damn it…"

Yang trailed off, and running a hand over his face looked apologetically at his former adjutant, Lieutenant Frederica Greenhill. "Sorry, Lieutenant Greenhill," he said. "You went to all that trouble to try and help me, and in the end it was all for nothing. You too, warrant officer, admiral…"

Bewcock shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't blame you. As you said, as a citizen of a free country, you don't have to take abuse like that lying down. That said, this is going to send waves across the military, for all that the government is likely going to use 'national security' as an excuse to keep things quiet."

"And if I don't want to give them an excuse," Yang said softly. "I better keep my mouth shut too, huh? Damn politicians…"

"Anyway," Bewcock said. "I'll do what I can to make sure you get your pension, plus severance pay. You've been in the military long enough, and have done more than enough to deserve that much at least. That said, don't relax too much, Yang."

"Admiral?"

Bewcock smiled without mirth. "We're still at war, after all." He said. "Just think of this as a break, like what I ended up having during last year's coup. But when the time comes…"

The old admiral trailed off, but the meaning was clear. Yang sighed, and glanced once at Frederica, who just stared silently at him. Yang briefly closed his eyes, and sighing nodded once. Bewcock nodded as well, and getting to his feet replaced his beret on his head. "Well then," he said. "I'll go on ahead."

Yang, Frederica, and Warrant Officer Louis Mashengo nodded, and Bewcock left as well. Sighing, Yang slumped in his seat. "Lieutenant…" he began after a few moments. "What will you do now?"

"I suppose," Frederica began slowly. "I'll figure something out. And as I told Admiral Bewcock recently, not even the government can openly trample the principles of democracy, even in the military."

"Don't do anything reckless, lieutenant." Yang cautioned, and Frederica smiled.

"I won't." she said. "Though…now that you aren't in the military anymore…um…if you want, you can just call me by name."

Yang blinked, and then curiously raised an eyebrow at Frederica who just smiled back at him. After a few moments, he sighed. "Alright…Frederica…" he said, and Frederica beamed. "What about you Mashengo?"

"A man cannot abandon his destiny."

Yang sighed again. "I suppose so." He said.

* * *

"Admiral Yang Wen-li has resigned his commission in the Alliance military." Kesselring reported. "He's apparently decided to enter early retirement, and according to information from the Alliance government, which has placed the former admiral under discreet surveillance, is currently looking for a new residence."

Rubinsky nodded in acknowledgement. "Admiral Bewcock has also prevailed upon the government to provide Yang with his due retirement pension and severance pay." Kesselring continued before smiling with amusement. "Apparently, the admiral called in quite a number of favors, made some concessions, and apparently dropped a few threats here and there."

Rubinsky smiled and nodded himself. "The concept of black and white exists only because of literary convenience, and was constructed by intellectuals with little to no real experience as to the way of things outside of their comfortable, academic niches." He said. "Even admirable, and highly-respected figures such as Admiral Bewcock, have some element of what those intellectuals would call darkness in themselves, to a greater or lesser degree. There is no exception among those who wield power, or indeed, for anyone at all."

Kesselring nodded his agreement. "And as history shows," he added. "For all that many devoted their whole lives to be able to claim to have…cleansed themselves, of that so-called darkness, their succeeding actions prove otherwise. The Christians of ancient history…the Galactic Empire…the Free Planets Alliance…the Earth Cult…"

Rubinsky nodded as Kesselring trailed off, and then after a moment the executive secretary returned to his report. "Furthermore," he said. "Apparently, a number of Yang's staff officers have tendered their resignations in protest of what they claim as persecution and the forced and unlawful early retirement of their former commanding officer."

"Oh?" Rubinsky said with genuine curiosity. "Which ones?"

"With the exceptions of Rear Admirals Cazerne and Murai," Kesselring said with a smirk. "Virtually the entire command staff of Iserlohn Fortress. And even those two have submitted formal protests."

"And the outcome?"

"Still pending the decision of the Department of Defense." Kesselring answered. "However, I do not think there is any reason for us to intervene in this matter. The Alliance government thus far has not failed to meet our expectations that they themselves would chop off their own limbs."

"Yes, I think so too."

"And speaking of the Alliance government," Kesselring continued while handing the report to Rubinsky. "The Alliance is now spending thirty per cent of their GNP on military expenses. Theoretically, the peacetime ceiling should not exceed eighteen per cent. At this rate, the Alliance economy will go bankrupt before long. And when that times, we will be able gain complete control of the Alliance. And once our interests in the Empire are secure, then Fezzan will be the true ruler of the known universe."

Rubinsky read the numbers for a few minutes before nodding in approval. "Quite," he said. "It's also about time we put our plan in the Empire into effect, shouldn't we?"

"Yes sir." Kesselring said with a nod. "I'll have them depart immediately. On that matter, what of the Imperial Fleet's Inspector-General of Research and Development?"

"What about him?"

"While it's true that he managed to succeed in mobilizing Geierberg Fortress," Kesselring said. "He failed to convince Prince Lohengramm to attack Iserlohn Fortress at this time. While it may have no real impact on our plans, a failure is still a failure…and he hasn't done much worthy of account over the years he's been in his post, for all that he demands so much of us."

"So you think it's time for him to be cut loose?"

"It is best to be rid of dead flesh before it spreads sickness to the rest of the body."

Rubinsky nodded, and Kesselring smirked. "I'll see to it then," he said. "That the Imperial Ministry of Justice gets its hands on certain documents that I'm sure they'll be very interested in."

Rubinsky nodded in approval, and with a polite bow Kesselring took his leave.

* * *

"What?"

"Yang Wen-li has resigned his commission in the Alliance military, and gone into early retirement." Kircheis answered.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Reinhard demanded.

"Unknown," Kircheis said. "Our agents on Fezzan are still looking into the matter, but so far the Alliance government seems to be keeping a tight lid on things. However, we have noticed indications that a number of Yang's subordinates are resigning in _protest_ , over supposedly persecutory treatment of their commanding officer."

"Loyal of them…" Reinhard muttered with an undertone of admiration, and causing Kircheis to smile slightly. "And perhaps enough to make an educated guess on what has transpired…such a small-hearted thing, a democracy is, that it cannot make allowances for its benefactors…and they call _us_ tyrants."

"As you say, Lord Reinhard."

Reinhard nodded, and entering the meeting room the two fleet admirals returned the salutes of the fleet commanders and other staff officers standing at attention. Reinhard made his way to his throne, sitting down as Kircheis took his place at Reinhard's side.

"Today's meeting will be short and to the point." Reinhard said, briefly glancing at Kessler, who made a small, imperceptible nod as he made eye contact with Reinhard. "It will simply be to make a decision on a key matter. Schaft!"

The Inspector-General of Research and Development stepped out of line, saluted before Reinhard, and began prattling about a potential attack on Iserlohn. Reinhard kept his face neutral, but Kircheis' expression was already stern, something that many of those present – but not Schaft – quickly took note of.

"Who asked you about operational proposals?" Reinhard finally exploded, and causing Schaft to gape mid-word. "MP Chief Superintendent! Come forward, and show this man proof of his guilt!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Kessler said, stepping out of line with a salute and positioning himself between Reinhard and a stunned Schaft held up an arrest warrant for the latter. "Admiral Schaft, you are under arrest. You are charged with corruption, embezzlement, tax evasion, betrayal of trust, and betraying military secrets. Your crimes are very grave. Take him away!"

Imperial Court Guards present in the room quickly surrounded the admiral, and handcuffing his hands behind him dragged the incoherently protesting admiral out of the room. Once the doors were closed, Kessler turned and bowed to Reinhard. "Trash!" Reinhard spat, and none disagreed. High Admiral Kempff looked especially furious, as he could guess among what pieces of information had been sold by the traitor to their enemies.

And the high admiral had a family, with two young children. Gods knows what might have happened had they attacked Iserlohn with strategic and operational security compromised, and while it was expected and even normal to risk death on the battlefield…

…to die because of a traitor's actions…

"Kessler," Reinhard ordered after several moments calming himself. "Place the Fezzan High Commissioner's office and its staff under increased surveillance. I don't care if they notice, perhaps it might even serve to restrain them."

"Yes, Your Excellency. It will be done."

Reinhard nodded in acknowledgement, and then running a hand over his forehead took a deep breath to further calm himself. "That will be all for now." He said. "Dismissed."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

A/N

Yes, I know the official translation for Hwang Lewi's post is actually Secretary of _Human Resources_ …seriously? That's…that's so…I don't know. Inappropriate, I would say, lacking sufficient gravitas for a government department…so I changed it to Secretary of Labor. It's more fitting, in my opinion.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 4

 _May, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

"What is that?"

"What do you mean 'what is that'?" Julian Mintz asked in confusion, while placing a tea set on the table in Yang's new living room. "It's a tea set, of course."

"I can see that!" Yang snapped in annoyance. "What I mean is why are there so many people in my house all of a sudden?"

"Well," Julian said with a smile. "Lieutenant…no, Miss Frederica had nothing else to do, seeing as she'd just resigned her commission as well, and I thought the house could use a woman's touch so…"

"As for us," (former) Rear Admiral Dusty Attenborough cheerfully began with spread hands. "We just wanted to see how you were doing, Yang."

"Exactly what he said." (former) Major General Walter von Schonkopf agreed with a nod. "Considering how idle and laid back you were back at Iserlohn before this whole mess blew up in our faces, we were curious to see how you were coping with being a civilian."

"I'm coping very well, as you can see." Yang dryly remarked. "I finally got the pension that was the only reason why I joined the military in the first place, and severance pay on top of that. I've got a comfortable house to live in, and all the time I want and need to focus on historical research with. Now that you know that, would you mind going away now?"

Schonkopf nodded sagely while Attenborough snickered. "Sounds like you're very comfortable then, admiral." He said.

"I am, actually." Yang admitted with a shrug. "And I think I've earned it."

"Maybe you have," Schonkopf said, and causing Yang's eyes to narrow. "But, are you really content with it? I can't help but wonder about that."

Yang didn't say anything for several moments, and then Attenborough gave a cough. "Basically," he began. "What General Schonkopf is trying to say is that can we really just sit back and do nothing while the Alliance falls apart around us? Not letting the Alliance walk all over you with that damn inquiry of theirs seems all well and good, and the same goes for our resignations, but we're not really sure it is. The government's hushed it all up under the excuse of national security, but more important than that is the fact that we might just have let that bunch in the government set a precedent. And not a good one at that."

Schonkopf nodded. "Since you resigned and we followed suit," he said. "The government bigwigs and the military brass just might get it into their heads to start holding more inquiries to force people they don't like to either toe the line, or to just go away."

"That may be so," Yang agreed with an unhappy expression on his face. "But as I told the inquiry back then, people have their limits. There are simply things that people shouldn't allow to be done to them, and have to stand up against. Because if they don't, it'd set an even worse precedent, that of people just meekly submitting to the abuse of those with power, and that would undermine the democratic spirit that just might be one of the few things left worth protecting in this Alliance."

"I see," Schonkopf said with narrowed eyes. "So you haven't given up on the Alliance, have you?"

"Well, I get my pension from the Alliance government, don't I?" Yang answered jokingly. "If it falls apart, then all that goes bye-bye, and all my hard work over the past several years or so would all be for nothing."

Schonkopf chuckled. "That sounds just like you." He said.

Attenborough nodded in agreement. "It certainly does." He said. "Anyway, here's what me and General Schonkopf were thinking. Since we aren't in the military anymore, how about we take what opportunities are available to civilians and aren't to soldiers, and make a stand?"

"Make…a stand?" Yang echoed skeptically, and with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, as he found himself suspecting just what Schonkopf and Attenborough were about to suggest. He would not be disappointed.

"How would you like to enter politics?" Attenborough asked. "With your popularity and…"

"No." Yang interrupted curtly and firmly.

Attenborough shrank back a little. "I-I'm not a kid asking for his allowance." He pointed out. "What do you mean no?"

"No means no."

"Won't you at least consider it?" Schonkopf asked. "At the rate things are going, the Alliance is going to implode, and then absolutely nothing can stop Prince Lohengramm from just waltzing in and annexing us into the Empire. Somebody has to do something, and you can. With your popularity you could easily win any election, and once you're in the government you can use that same popularity to leverage the politicians into taking things seriously and…"

"No." Yang interrupted again, before finally picking up his teacup and taking a drink before continuing. "As you say, winning an election would probably be easy, but getting the government to – as you put it – take things seriously…"

Yang trailed off, and Schonkopf shook his head. "I didn't think you're the kind to give up without even trying, admiral." He said.

"I agree." Attenborough said with a nod. "Before even dismissing the idea, won't you at least give it a try?"

"You make it sound so easy." Yang shot back. "But even using my popularity – which I never wanted in the first place, I might add – to leverage the politicians into taking action as you suggest, would require a great many compromises. Compromises that would lead to other compromises, which would lead to even more compromises, and so on…long story short, that bunch in the government would probably just find a way to make it appear as though things are changing for the better, when in fact nothing changes at all."

"Well, that's the important thing, isn't it?" Schonkopf said with a smile. "To make the changes actually mean something, that is."

"Easier said than done." Yang replied. "I don't know the first thing about politics, and that's the biggest problem of all. That bunch would just run rings around me, and before long I'd find myself being led around by the nose, an even worse situation than being forced to cater to those same politicians from when I was still with the military."

"The military, eh?" Schonkopf said thoughtfully as Yang took another drink of his tea. "There's an idea there, if you don't want to be led around by the more experienced politicians once you're in the government. It even fulfils what you're no doubt thinking right now, when I mentioned the military. Specifically, that of using the military to enforce your edicts, while you, a civilian, are ultimately the one in charge. So, how about it?"

"And how exactly would that really be different from that bunch in the National Salvation Military Council?" Yang coldly asked.

"For one thing," Schonkopf answered. "This new, emergency government would have a civilian leader. And for other things, you'd never treat the government as your personal property, see the citizens as simply another means to an end, or use the military for personal gain."

"Just the simple fact that in such a situation I'd be using the military to bypass proper procedure and rule of law would in essence, mean using the military for personal gain." Yang replied just as coldly from before. "Furthermore, what if the citizens refuse to agree with or support my actions, what do you suggest? Ignore or force them into line with the military? In short, turn the government into my personal property, and reduce the citizens as a means to an end, namely by having them put me into a position from where I could become just another dictator. No, absolutely not."

Yang took a calming drink of his tea. "If the Alliance's only chance of surviving in some form is to become a dictatorship to compete with the Empire," he said. "Then the Alliance deserves to be destroyed. Because by having betrayed if not outright destroyed the form and essence of what the Alliance is supposed to be, then the Alliance has already ceased to exist. What is left only serves to mock and dishonor the memory of those who lived, struggled, and died for what it once was."

"Very poetic, admiral." Schonkopf remarked. "And I suppose you have a point there. But, what other alternative is there? Allow the Alliance to destroy itself, and then bend knee before Prince Lohengramm when he arrives on Heinessen?"

"Perhaps," Yang said to the shock of everybody present. "Prince Lohengramm's government may not be by or through the people, but it is _for_ the people. And that's certainly more than what the current bunch in charge of the Alliance can say about what they've done."

"But, it is an autocratic regime, yes?" Schonkopf pressed. "Then what difference is there between Prince Lohengramm and the scenario from earlier?"

"The difference is that Prince Lohengramm and the Empire are only being true about what they are. The Empire is an autocracy, and it always has been, ever since Rudolf von Goldenbaum usurped the Galactic Federation and turned into the Galactic Empire." Yang replied. "That is their standard, that of one man holding absolute power given to him either through inheritance or won through force, and wielding it as they see fit. From a democratic perspective, it is an abomination…but in no way has Prince Lohengramm betrayed the Empire's ideals. He is and remains a product of his system. In fact, he is the _epitome_ of those ideals and his system. An autocrat who wields his absolute power for the good of his subjects."

"But…?"

Yang nodded. "We, on the other hand, are a democracy." He said. "That is our standard. The power of our leaders is given to them in trust, the trust that said power will be used for the good of the people who gave it in trust in the first place. Government by, through, and for the people. And if we cannot meet that standard…"

Yang trailed off again and shrugged. "So," Schonkopf spoke up again. "You really think then that we should do nothing but allow the Alliance to crumble from the inside out, and to just meekly submit once Prince Lohengramm arrives."

"…I didn't say that." Yang said after a moment's pause. "All I said was that it was one possible course of action we could take."

"Then, let me ask the most important question of all: what do you plan to do now?" Schonkopf asked. "You've left the military, and in a way have too many things on your mind to want to enter politics. So what now?"

"Right now, I'm just planning to enjoy my tea." Yang said with a smile, and causing Attenborough and Schonkopf to groan and palm their faces. Yang smiled wider at the sight, and turned his head at the sound of Frederica's approach.

"It sounds like you've all been talking very seriously." She said, placing a platter of sandwiches on the table. "What's it all about?"

"Nothing too serious, actually." Yang said with a shrug and picking up a sandwich. "Just what to do from now on."

Yang paused to take a bite, blinked, and then took another bite. "Oh, this is good!" he said with a smile at Frederica who blushed at the compliment. "Looks like Julian was on to something when he had you live with us."

Attenborough snickered and Frederica gave a cough. "I'm very glad to hear that, admiral." She said.

"Anyway," Yang said after nodding at Frederica. "After enjoying my tea and this sandwich, I plan to focus on historical research. I've got a promising idea to work with, and I'm hoping to publish it before the year is out, though to be honest that's rather doubtful. Maybe next year…"

"And?" Schonkopf asked as Yang trailed off. "And after that?"

"I'll figure out another idea to work on." Yang said, taking another bite of his sandwich. "On another note, who's left at Iserlohn Fortress?"

"Rear Admiral Murai's still Chief of Staff for the station command staff." Attenborough said. "Old Man Fisher's still Deputy Fleet Commander, while Rear Admiral Huu is still around as a wing commander. Poplan and Konev are still Air Wing Commanders, but the position of Deputy Chief of Staff's been abolished."

"So what's happened to Patrichev then?" Yang asked.

"He was promoted to rear admiral and reassigned as a supply base commander on the frontier." Frederica answered.

"I see." Yang said with a nod. "Any other changes I should know about?"

"Admiral Rockwell is now Iserlohn's Commander," Attenborough said. "Though, given the appointment was public, you probably knew that already."

"I did." Yang admitted, and crossed his arms over his chest in thought. "Rockwell…he's not too bad, I suppose, if quite conservative in his thinking. Cazerne's still at Iserlohn, I take it?"

"Yes," Attenborough said with a nod. "He's still Inspector-General."

"Well, even if Rockwell's the conservative kind," Yang said. "With Murai and Cazerne advising him, he should be able to command Iserlohn well enough. And when all is said and done, a conservative commander's actually well-suited to command a post like that of Iserlohn's."

Yang blinked and then leaned forward. "By the way," he said. "Who's replaced you and Schonkopf?"

"Rear Admiral Alarcon has taken my post as a wing commander for the Station Fleet," Attenborough said. "While Brigadier General Jawaf is now the Fortress Defense Commander."

"Alarcon?" Yang echoed. "That name…where have I heard it before?"

"He was previously-charged with having massacred POWs and civilians," Frederica filled in, and Yang's eyes went flat. "But…"

"Dismissed for lack of evidence…?" Yang asked, and when Frederica nodded he sighed. "Oh boy…somehow I'm not too confident of the man, though I hope Rockwell can keep him in line. What about this Jawaf?"

"He's not too shabby, I suppose." Schonkopf admitted. "And he's got a background in special forces operations."

"So…you can trust him?" Yang asked.

"I think I can." Schonkopf said with a nod. "He doesn't have much experience in shipboard operations though, but Linz and the rest of the Rosen Ritter are still at Iserlohn. And from what I hear Jawaf respects us professionally. I think we can rest easy on that end."

Yang nodded and sat back. "That sounds good then." He said, and Shonchopf chuckled.

"So," he said. "You were planning on rejoining the military from the very beginning, were you? You could have just said so, and avoided all that talk from earlier."

Yang shrugged. "Maybe," he said. "Though, I'm not planning on rejoining any time soon. In fact, I'd like to enjoy as much of my newfound free time as long and as best I can, at least until Old Man Bewcock asks for my help."

"Is that so?" Schonkopf said with a chuckle. "Does Old Man Bewcock know you plan on waiting for him to ask you for help before you decide to come back?"

"Of course he does."

Schonkopf chuckled again and nodded. "Indeed," he said.

* * *

"So," Annerose said as she placed the pot of stew on the table before sitting down. "How are you two doing with your lives?"

"We're doing well, though thank you for asking, sister." Reinhard politely replied.

Annerose nodded. "I'm glad to hear that." She said before sighing. "Though I'm even more glad that things have stayed quiet so far, and I hope they'll stay that way for a long while yet."

"Yes, sister." Reinhard said with a nod. "I know I can't guarantee it, but I'll do what I can."

Kircheis nodded at Reinhard, and turned with a smile to Annerose. "Please rest assured, Lady Annerose." He said. "Never once have I known Lord Reinhard to break his word, so there should be no doubt that he will do what he can to keep the peace."

Annerose nodded. "That much is true." She said, and Reinhard gave Kircheis a grateful nod.

"In any case," Reinhard said. "Right now my focus is on internal affairs. While we're still actually at war with the Alliance, I'd like to finish cleaning house before ending said war, one way or another. No matter how it goes, the latter is going to take a good deal of effort to do."

"Cleaning house?" Annerose echoed with a giggle. "My, Reinhard, is that really what you think your reforms amount to?"

"Well, yes."

Annerose nodded her head slowly. "I suppose it's an apt description." She said, before taking a deep breath. "But yes, it's a better idea to focus on finishing things one at a time, instead of trying to do everything all at once. The latter would just invite mistakes, any one of which could have you starting over from scratch. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"No, of course not."

There was another round of laughter at that, and then Annerose softly clapped her hands. "Now then," she said. "How about we start our supper before the stew and the bread gets cold?"

"Yes, sister."

* * *

"Say, Reinhard?"

"What, sister?"

Supper was over, and the table cleared, Reinhard, Kircheis, and Annerose were enjoying some coffee together. "I was wondering," she said. "If I could move out of your mansion to the countryside?"

Reinhard's eyes went wide, and causing Kircheis to look at him sharply. Annerose noticed Reinhard's stricken expression, and smiled reassuringly before patting him gently on his hand. "Oh calm yourself, Reinhard." She said chidingly. "It's not that I think I'm imposing on you, or it's anything you've done or that I want to be away from you, it's just that…"

Annerose paused and sighed, causing Reinhard to look confused. "Sister?" he asked.

"I'm tired, Reinhard, Sieg." She said softly, and causing both Reinhard and Kircheis to look sad. "I know it doesn't make sense, but I am. I feel…burned out, as though there's nothing left for me to look forward to anymore."

Reinhard gasped softly but Annerose smiled at him reassuringly. "No," she said. "Please don't take that the wrong way. It might seem that way, but I know there are plenty of things to look forward to. Reinhard, Sieg, you both still have so many things to do and achieve in life, and I want to see and share with you everything you'll accomplish."

Annerose paused, and sat up in her chair. "Perhaps," she said softly and thoughtfully. "Perhaps…burned out, isn't the best way to call it. Cramped, might be a better way to call it, and perhaps feel left behind by the world…"

"Sister…"

"Lady Annerose…"

Annerose sighed again, and smiled at both Reinhard and Kircheis. "The world, no, the universe has changed so much in so short a time." She said. "I know it had to change, and I have to adapt to those changes…but I can't do that here. I can't find my pace here, and I need to do so if I'm to catch up."

Reinhard nodded slowly in understanding. "Yes, I think I understand, sister." He said before he sighed. "I'm not happy with you leaving my house, but…if that's what you need, then of course, I won't get in your way."

"Don't be so down, Reinhard." Annerose said with a smile. "You could always come and visit when you can, just make sure to bring Sieg with you, alright?"

Reinhard smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course, sister." He said.

"That said," Annerose said with a teasing tone. "Don't visit so often that you neglect your responsibilities, alright? I'd be most disappointed if you do."

"That's mean, sister."

Kircheis and Annerose laughed at that. "Well," Kircheis said with a smile. "Now I know where Lord Reinhard gets it from."

The three of them laughed, and Reinhard shot Kircheis a smirk of his own. "And you're any different, Kircheis?" he asked. "That was unusually mean of you just now."

"Oh dear me, it seems that you're rubbing off on me, Lord Reinhard."

"Oh my," Annerose said with a giggle, and after a moment Reinhard and Kircheis laughed as well.

"Still," Reinhard said. "If you're going to be moving out to the countryside, is there anything I could do to help you find a place?"

"Oh I should be able to do well enough finding a place on my own." Annerose said before her expression turned slightly uncomfortable. "I'm not exactly penniless, either."

Uncomfortable silence fell over the table. It was true, Annerose was far from penniless, not that any of them were. As Imperial fleet admirals, Reinhard and Kircheis were well-paid, and in Reinhard's case his elevations into the high nobility had each been accompanied with financial awards in honor of the elevation in question. Annerose however…as per Imperial custom, upon the death of an Emperor, his mistresses were released from their 'duties' and awarded with financial remittance for their services.

Finally, Reinhard coughed. "I…I see." He said. "Then, for curiosity's sake if nothing else, what would be your preferences, sister?"

"A small cottage would be fine." Annerose said. "So long as it has all the necessary amenities, and of course a few guest rooms for when you and Sieg or my other friends come visit. And of course, Konrad would be coming with me."

By that, she was referring to her ward, Viscount Konrad von Model. An officer cadet taken prisoner during the Lippstadt War, his father and other male relatives were killed in the fighting, though the young viscount ultimately held no grudge against Reinhard for leading the Imperial Fleet against the Lippstadt Allied Forces.

Not when the supply ship Konrad had been serving on as a midshipman had been shot at, one of many such vessels destroyed when the Margrave Wilhelm von Littenheim had fled from then-High Admiral Kircheis' victorious fleet at the Battle of Kyffhauser…and had only succeeded in doing so by firing on his own men. For this reason, and others, Konrad reserved his blame for the cowardly and murderous leaders of the league, Duke Braunschweig and Margrave Littenheim, whose greed and arrogance had only led their followers like lambs to a slaughter.

Reinhard nodded in approval. "That sounds fine." He said.

"If I may, Lady Annerose." Kircheis offered with a nod. "Perhaps you could ask for some assistance from Baroness Westfalen? I'm sure she'd have some ideas…and of course, if you were to invite her over and she didn't know beforehand that you were buying a cottage, she might make some…remarks, on how hurt she is that you didn't consider if she had some suggestions of her own."

Reinhard chuckled. "Yes," he conceded. "That much is true. As grateful as I am that the baroness has befriended you sister, and I'll admit that she is a very good friend to us all, she is that kind of person."

"Yes, she is very assertive, isn't she?" Annerose admitted. "But, she genuinely has good intentions, and knows when and where to draw the line. And she is a very good friend with good taste…perhaps I just might take your advice, Sieg."

Kircheis bowed in gratitude.

* * *

 _June, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

The Dominion of Fezzan is an autonomous subject state of the Galactic Empire. Controlling and holding neutral as it did one of the only two navigable routes between the Empire and the Alliance, it has essentially monopolized any and all trade between the two nations, and earned itself great economic and financial influence in the known universe.

Yet, for all that, Fezzan only has one inhabited world, a planet in a star system in the corridor all of which sharing the same name. As a result, any and all shipping comes and goes at Fezzan itself, but out of environmental concerns born of the sheer volume of shipping that passed through Fezzan, the Fezzani decided against building a groundside spaceport as was usually the case on other planets. Instead, they constructed an orbital elevator.

Running for an estimated thirty-five thousand kilometers from ground to space, the orbital elevator allows for goods to be loaded or offloaded to or from ships in orbit, and then shipped by rail through the orbital elevator down to the surface and vice versa. And not just goods, passengers and crew also travel to and from the surface through the orbital elevator, though shuttle flights from orbit to the surface and vice versa are not unknown either.

But trade is not the only thing that passes through Fezzan and its corridor. People – defectors, spies, smugglers, refugees and such – pass through it as well, sometimes on their own, or as so happens most of the time, conveyed discreetly on Fezzani merchantmen.

One such merchantman was now docked at one of the quays at the orbital elevator's orbital station. In the terminal inside the station, a tall, well-built man with blonde hair sat on a bench, his carryon luggage sitting next to him as he silently regarded his passport.

As his companion approached, Captain Leopold Schumacher looked up, regarding Count Alfred von Landsberg, his…partner, for their plan in the Empire. Like Schumacher, the count was dressed in clothes typical of the upper classes of the Empire, and unlike the stoically apprehensive captain, the count was cheerfully confident.

And why wouldn't he? The count was, in the captain's opinion, still too personally invested in carrying on with the goals of the defeated Lippstadt League, regardless of how little chance in the long-term their plan had of overthrowing Prince Lohengramm and restoring the old regime in the Empire.

As for the captain…

…for the sake of his friends on Fezzen, whose livelihoods were at stake if he did not cooperate…

…no matter his doubts, he'd do what he could to ensure the plan's success.

"Shall we go, captain?" the count asked, their ship apparently beginning to allow passengers to board.

Schumacher nodded, and getting up, joined the count in heading for the ship.

* * *

A/N

More on Yang plus his typical wordy commentary on politics and such…

…I apologize if I don't seem to match Yoshiki Tanaka's standards, but I did as best as I could and I'm no history doctor.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 5

 _July, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

Count Landsberg and Captain Schumacher stood in their suite's living room, examining a map of the Imperial Palace of Neue Sanssouci spread out on the table before them. Having returned to the Imperial Capital just days ago with the assistance of the Fezzani government, that same assistance also allowed them – so far – to remain unnoticed by the Imperial authorities.

And now it was time for them to carry out that which they had returned to Imperial Capital Odin to do.

That is, to infiltrate the Imperial Palace, abduct – or rescue as the conspiring nobles behind waiting on Fezzan preferred to call it – the Boy-Emperor Erwin Josef II, and again with the assistance of the Fezzani government, escape to Fezzan. From there, they would proceed to the Free Planets Alliance and form a government-in-exile with the support of the Alliance government, as a first step towards overthrowing the Lohengramm Government currently in power in the Empire.

And that was something that Schumacher was still very unsure of.

Oh, to be sure he would be rewarded for it, with Count Jochen von Remscheid, the senior nobleman behind the conspiracy, guaranteeing Schumacher's elevation into the high nobility as a reward for his support…but…even so…what point was there to it?

Even before returning to Odin and seeing the improvements in Imperial society Schumacher had held those doubts, and they'd only grown as he saw the changes going through the Empire, changes long awaited and for the betterment of the Empire as a whole. If they succeeded, and felled Prince Lohengramm, then it was only a matter of fact that his reforms would be rolled back, in favor of restoring the old system which had stood before the prince had assumed power.

And Schumacher also knew for a fact that such would not benefit the citizens of the Empire at all. Quite the opposite in fact, and likely would spark civil war, between the citizens and the new, common-born officers rising to power in the Imperial Fleet under Prince Lohengramm, and the restored supporters of the pre-Lohengramm system.

And that did not take into account what the Alliance would seek from Count Remscheid in compensation for their support. A peace treaty no doubt, one highly favorable to the Alliance at the Empire's expense, and one which would give the Alliance a foothold to further exploit their advantage assuming – as would likely happen – a civil war erupted in the Empire.

But even though he knew all that…that what he would be doing would not be in the interests of the Empire at all…Schumacher had no choice but to do his part in the plot as well and as much as he could.

 _You could probably grow crops on your farm, but alas, crops are meaningless if they can't be sold at a market. You're an intelligent man, captain. You understand what I mean._

No…even if it meant betraying his own country, and in more ways than one, Schumacher had to participate in the plot. If he didn't…then his friends on Fezzan…those who he'd fought alongside with during the Lippstadt War, who'd saved his life at its end, and who he'd led to Fezzan afterwards with the hope they could start over on that world…

…they'd pay the price.

And that was something Schumacher simply couldn't allow to happen. He was the one who'd brought them to Fezzan, and so responsibility was his and his alone. He wouldn't allow them to take responsibility for any of his choices and actions, one way or another.

So Schumacher had to stay the course, no matter how reprehensible it might be.

"The security of Neue Sanssouci can be surprisingly lax." Count Landsberg was saying. "Of course, this is partly because security must solely be handled by the Imperial Court Guards, and never by tasteless machines."

"Add to that the fact that Prince Lohengramm has closed off half the palace," Schumacher chimed in. "And it becomes even more so."

"Exactly," Count Landsberg said with a nod. "And when we go in, we'll have myself as a guide as well. And I've been received at the palace countless times before. Though much has been closed off, it hasn't actually been rebuilt or anything of the sort, merely abandoned."

The count paused and then leaned forward before smiling and gesturing conspiratorially. "And also," he said softly. "Secret rooms and passages have been built everywhere in the palace. Even Prince Lohengramm can't know about all of them."

Schumacher blinked and looked surprised. "I've heard about those." He said. "But they actually exist?"

"They do indeed." Count Landsberg said with a nod, before pressing a button on the control panel attached to the map. The map darkened, save for a glowing section running across the palace.

"See for yourself," the count said, tracing a finger along the glowing sections of the map. "From beneath the Imperial Historical Institute, there's a corridor that runs along the west of the North Gardens to emerge beneath the statue of Sigismund I in the South Gardens."

"…how do you know about this?"

The count smiled and assumed a theatrical pose. "Five generations ago," he said. "My ancestors of the House of Landsberg built it on the orders of the reigning emperor. Ever since then, we have held dearly to the words of 'should the person of His Majesty the Emperor be in danger, use this corridor'…the fact that I am to take upon myself such a historic role…was ordained as far back as five generations ago."

Suppressing the urge to sigh at the count's theatrics, Schumacher focused on the map instead. "The problem will be breaking into the Imperial Historical Institute." He remarked. "Though…it'll certainly be easier than breaking into the palace itself. That said, we'll need a diversion."

"A diversion?" Count Landsberg echoed.

"Perhaps we could arrange for attacks on military police stations across the Imperial City," Schumacher mused. "And thus draw their attentions away…"

"I think it's a good idea," Count Landsberg conceded. "But Prince Lohengramm is a sharp one. He might see through our plans if we're too obvious."

"True…but we need to do something, regardless."

"The questions then would be what," Count Landsberg asked with a serious tone and expression. "And who will perform it?"

"…how about letting the Fezzani handle it?" Schumacher asked.

"That's unreasonable." Count Landsberg protested. "They've already contributed so much to our noble goal. Haven't they done enough, captain?"

Schumacher sighed and nodded. "True," he admitted, though in truth it was only for the count's benefit. In reality, he _would_ get the Fezzani to help them out in this. Otherwise, they had no chance of succeeding whatsoever. "We probably shouldn't expect much more than what they've already given."

* * *

Meanwhile, even as Count Landsberg and Captain Schumacher were conspiring on abducting the boy-emperor, another group of nobles were gathered in the countryside some distance from the Imperial City. The four of them were noblewomen, and were seated at an outside table overlooking a mountain lake from the veranda of a villa belonging to one of their number.

Said noblewoman was at the head of the gathering, Countess Annerose von Grunewald. Most of her guests were the few friends she'd gained during her time at court as the late Emperor Frederick IV's mistress. One was Baroness Magdalena von Westfalen, a well-known socialite and intellectual, and the other was Viscountess Dorothea von Schaffhausen.

The fourth, and youngest member of their group was Hildegard von Mariendorf. Though technically entitled to use to the title of countess due to being the sole child and heiress of her father, Count Franz von Mariendorf, Hilda – as she was known to her friends – was not particularly fond of using said title outside of formal occasions.

"…things are finally beginning to settle down," Viscountess Schaffhausen was saying. "For which I'm quite grateful for. Oh I know Prince Lohengramm's reforms were long due in the coming, but considering how much stress the shockwaves caused by the new tax code have put my husband through…I can't help but be slightly less than charitable."

"That's only natural I suppose." Baroness Westfalen said, taking a sip of her tea. "But, as yourself said, it was a long time in coming. The world needed to change, and it did, and we need to change with it. That said…if your husband was stressed out making sure your family's assets would conform to the new tax code's requirements, well, now that things have quieted down a bit, how about taking the chance to relax on a vacation?"

"I think it's a good idea." Annerose remarked in agreement. "A chance to unwind every once in a while goes a long way for anyone."

Annerose paused and sighed. "Though," she said. "I do wish my brother would take that piece of advice."

There was some laughter at that. "Your brother's quite a hardworking man, Annerose." Viscountess Schaffhausen said. "We all knew he had quite the promise, and that much is clear to see now."

"I've always known that." Annerose said with veiled pride. "Though if he works too hard, it's no good for him either."

"That much is true." Baroness Westfalen said. "Our golden prince is wound up much too tightly. He really ought to take a leaf out of Siegfried's book and have some time to himself every once in a while. Though convincing him of such is probably easier said than done…isn't that right, Hilda?"

Hilda coughed diplomatically. "It's…not really my place to say, one way or another." She said with a small smile.

"Oh come now, Hilda." Baroness Westfalen said. "I know you want to be professional and all, being Prince Lohengramm's secretary and all, but we're all discreet here. Aren't we ladies?"

Murmurs of agreement went around at that, while Hilda bought herself some time to think by drinking some tea. "Well…I can say His Excellency is quite dedicated to his responsibilities," she said. "However, he is not above delegating tasks and responsibilities to other, capable individuals."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" the baroness teased.

"Well, yes. I suppose I would."

There was some laughter at that. "In all seriousness however," Hilda continued. "Things have only been hectic for us at the Chancellery in recent months due to all the large-scale reforms being implemented over that time. With the introduction of the new tax and legal codes, His Excellency believes that we should allow for ample time for them to gain substance, to sink in as it were, into society. So…I suppose, it might not be too difficult to get His Excellency to, as you put it baroness, have some time to himself."

There were nods all around them. "I suppose it makes sense." Viscountess Schaffhausen remarked. "That things have been hectic at the Chancellery lately, that is. If all the reforms have been causing stress on us, how much more on those behind them and actually managing their implementation?"

"Though," Baroness Westfalen began with another sip of her tea. "From what Hilda says, now that the new codes have been introduced, things will be slowing down to give them time to have an effect. Anything more than what's been passed will have to wait until afterwards, yes? And until then, business will simply be a matter of day-to-day management of government affairs?"

"Exactly as you say, baroness." Hilda said with a smile.

Baroness Westfalen nodded with a smile before turning to Annerose. "Then," she said. "This might be a perfect time for us to get your little brother to take your advice. Though, the question would be how to get him to do so."

"On the other hand though," Viscountess Schaffhausen began. "While things might be settling down on the government side of things, what of the fleet? The Galactic Empire is still technically at war with the rebel forces, isn't it? Things might get stirred up on that end."

Hilda again coughed delicately. "While I can't say too much without betraying His Excellency's trust," she said. "I would think there's little to worry on that end."

"Understandable on the first part," Viscountess Schaffhausen said. "But what do you mean with the latter, Hilda?"

"Recently His Excellency has – implicitly – expressed his intent to focus on internal affairs." Hilda said. "I know we have to defeat the Alliance once and for all sooner or later, but His Excellency would prefer the Empire be well ahead on the path of reform and ready to integrate the former Alliance territories when that time comes."

Baroness Westfalen nodded several times in approval. "Long-term planning," she said. "I approve. But you know, that only accounts for our side of the war. What if the rebels make a big move of their own?"

"I seriously doubt they would." Hilda said. "We destroyed a large part of their fleet two years ago at Amritsar. Just like ourselves after Tiamat decades ago, I can safely say they'd probably be focusing on recovering their losses, which given the scale of the defeat, would take years to do."

"Ah…I see…" Baroness Westfalen said. "Certainly, given the sudden expansion of the gap between us and them, it'd only be prudent for the rebels to stay quiet for now, yes? If so…yes, things should stay quiet for some time."

"And for which I'm quite grateful." Annerose said with a sigh. "I know the fleet's allowed Reinhard to rise to where he is now, but I can't help but get worried whenever he goes out onto the battlefield."

"That's only natural, so you shouldn't have to feel bad for it, Annerose." Baroness Westfalen reassured Annerose.

"But…he's only what, twenty-one, no, he's twenty-two, and he's already His Excellency the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet and Chancellor of the Galactic Empire."

There were nods all around at that. "Which bring us back to the point from earlier," Viscountess Schaffhausen said. "How to get Prince Lohengramm to relax, if only to reassure Annerose here."

"Well for starters either Annerose or Siegfried could ask him to take things easy for a while, or to delegate some more to his skilled subordinates." Baroness Westfalen said. "It's not like he'd listen to anyone else other than those two."

"Oh I'm sure Reinhard would listen to you, baroness." Annerose said. "You've managed to get him aboard more than one of your schemes before, haven't you?"

This time it was Baroness Westfalen's turn to cough diplomatically. "They weren't schemes, they were plans." She corrected. "There's a difference."

"I'm sure." Viscountess Schaffhausen remarked, and causing everyone to laugh, even Baroness Westfalen herself.

"Oh very well," the baroness finally admitted. "I could convince Prince Lohengramm to go along with my plans with some effort, but not as easily as Siegfried or as Annerose could."

"That said though," Viscountess Schaffhausen said. "Even if Prince Lohengramm were to start delegating away some of his redundant responsibilities and even have some time for himself, that's only in the short-term. I'm sure as things start getting busy again…"

"…it'll be more of the same." Annerose said with a sigh.

Baroness Westfalen nodded in agreement. "It is quite the dilemma, yes?" she asked. "A long-term solution needs to be found, to get our golden prince to be less wound up and more concerned with his health and lifestyle than he currently is, for both his and Annerose's sake…and I think I just have the thing in mind."

"And what might that be?" Annerose asked curiously, and Baroness Westfalen grinned.

"Why, we need to find him a wife, of course!"

* * *

Reinhard had only just returned home to Schwarz Manor after a long day and a late night at the Chancellery (made even longer by Hilda taking the day off), when he received an emergency videophone alert asking for his presence back at the Chancellery. Not wasting time at griping at this unexpected and unwelcome development, Reinhard delayed only long enough to change into a fresh uniform, and then had himself driven back to the Chancellery.

As he stepped out of the car, and up the Chancellery's steps, Reinhard paused as another car drove out, Hilda rushing out to join Reinhard. "Fraulein Mariendorf," Reinhard said with some surprise. "I was under the impression that today was your day off."

"I was told it was an emergency situation." Hilda said. "So even though I've only just returned from the countryside, I thought my presence might be required."

Reinhard favored Hilda with a small smile before leading the way into the Chancellery. Making their way to the chancellor's office, where Oberstein and Streit were already present, Reinhard and Hilda were surprised to find Admiral Kessler and Vice Admiral Molt – Head of Palace Security – also present in the room with them.

Taking his seat behind the desk, Reinhard received the reports from Kessler and Molt, and with it the reason for the emergency situation. Apparently, unknown individuals had infiltrated the Imperial Palace, and had proceeded to abduct the boy-emperor. Though an alarm had been quickly raised, and both the Imperial Court Guards and the Imperial Military Police were hot on the criminals' trails, the fact was that the Emperor had been abducted.

And responsibility needed to be allocated.

"Kessler," Reinhard said. "Rather than apologizing for your failure, carry out your duty. Do not allow His Majesty's kidnappers from successfully escaping with their victim."

"Yes sir." Kessler said with a bow.

"Vice Admiral Molt," Reinhard began only to falter as his understanding of the vice admiral's character came to mind. A conservative and old-fashioned officer, the man would not be able to forgive himself for failing to perform his duty. Even if Reinhard were inclined to show magnanimity – and which he was – the vice admiral would never accept it. There was only one thing the vice admiral would accept, and there would be nothing Reinhard could do to change it.

Not letting his frustration and helplessness show, Reinhard only gave the silent impression of considering his thoughts before glancing sideways at a nearby clock. "Later this noon," he said, recognizing that while Kessler and Molt were giving their reports, July 7 had given way to July 8. "I will inform you of your punishment. You are confined to your office until then. Put your affairs in order, so as to have nothing to regret."

"Yes sir." Molt said with a deep bow.

Reinhard sat back in his seat, and closing his eyes took a deep breath. "All of you, leave me." He ordered firmly. "Except you, Fraulein Mariendorf. Please stay."

Hilda blinked in surprise and then bowed, even as everyone else quietly filed out of the office. The doors were closed, thus leaving Reinhard and Hilda alone in the former's office. Silence hung heavy for a time, and then Reinhard turned to Hilda.

"Fraulein Mariendorf," he began. "I imagine you already have some thoughts in mind as to who might be responsible for the Emperor's abduction?"

"I do." Hilda said with a nod.

"And?"

"There are three possible culprits." Hilda said. "They are the Free Planets Alliance, Fezzan, and finally discontented nobles who may or may not be survivors of the Lippstadt League from the previous year."

"I see."

"Of those," Hilda said. "The most likely culprit would be the discontented nobles, seeking as they would - as they see it - to free His Majesty from the clutches of the enemy. From there, they would likely seek to rally support to themselves, using His Majesty as a rallying point."

"Would they really expect anything to come of their plans?" Reinhard asked. "No offense intended Fraulein, but if they are so shortsighted that they cannot see or understand the current realities within the Empire, they would not have succeeded as they have so far."

"You are correct, of course." Hilda said with a nod. "I should have said that would have been their long-term goal. I apologize."

"Oh?" Reinhard asked with a raised eyebrow. "And what would be their short-term goal? I suspect it would be something that would alter the situation such that using the Emperor as a rallying point for those already left behind by the changing realities of the Empire becomes possible."

"With respect, Your Excellency," Hilda began. "Your current authority is derived – formally, at least – from His Majesty. And that may in fact be their short-term goal."

Reinhard was silent for several moments before nodding slowly. "I see." He said. "That much is true. My authority at present has legal basis due to the Emperor's support. Take the latter away and the former becomes undermined."

"As you say, Your Excellency." Hilda said. "However, such a blow to your authority is not necessarily fatal. Indeed, there are ways to go around it, or even to repair the damage."

"Certainly, that is so." Reinhard said, leaning forward and folding his hands on his desk. "However, let us not abandon the possibility of catching the criminals and recovering their prize just yet. Fraulein, if their plot is as we just discussed, then it is likely the conspirators would go to ground somewhere to wait out its buildup, and if necessary nurture and manage it to their advantage."

"I think so too." Hilda said with a nod. "The safest place for them to go to ground on would be along the frontier. Vast, poorly-developed, and easy to disappear in. That said, I do not think they would disappear into the frontier."

"Indeed," Reinhard agreed with a nod. "Easy to hide in, but the distance involved would make it difficult to enact measures to ensure their plot cannot be circumvented in any way."

"As you say Your Excellency." Hilda said. "If so, it is likely they would hide on any number of more-developed worlds across the Empire."

"Or even here, on Odin itself." Reinhard said. "Only the wisest turn over the same stone twice."

Hilda blinked in surprise, and then nodded. "Yes," she said. "It's as you say, Your Excellency."

Reinhard nodded slowly. "If that is the case then," he said. "We'll have to have the military police keep a lookout for any leads for the conspirators and their confederates…assuming we don't catch them today, of course. There's still a chance for that to happen."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Reinhard nodded and then sat back. Again, silence fell for several moments, and then Reinhard turned back to Hilda. "On another note, Fraulein," he began. "Why would you discount Fezzan and the Free Planets Alliance as possible culprits?"

"With regard to the Free Planets Alliance," Hilda said. "There is no profit in such a conspiracy for the Alliance to put it into action. Indeed, given their losses in the invasion two years ago, I would think provoking us would be the last thing they'd want."

"That is a valid argument." Reinhard conceded. "However, this is the same Alliance which is not above persecuting its own benefactors for political reasons. Might not it be too much to expect rationality for their leaders' reasoning?"

"It might seem that way," Hilda said. "However, I would argue that the matter of former Admiral Yang and the dispute between him and his government was apparently the result of the latter's fears over his influence in the military. In short, the Alliance government, or those in power within it, took action to preserve their positions."

"I see." Reinhard said. "Yes, put that way and it does make sense. In the interests of self-preservation, the leaders of the Alliance would not risk a confrontation with us at present, at least until they recover from the losses of two years prior. Perhaps if they had not suffered such losses, they might have something to gain by attempting to abduct the Emperor, but at present…"

Reinhard trailed off, while Hilda nodded. "As for Fezzan," she said. "While I understand that our new course has damaged a number of Fezzani interests here in the Empire, a conspiracy such as this seems rather…unsubtle, for the Fezzani."

"Indeed," Reinhard said, stroking his chin in thought. "Much too obvious for them to be the ones sitting in the director's seat…but…"

"Your Excellency…?"

"…is it possible for Fezzan and the other possible culprits to be cooperating with each other?" Reinhard mused. "As I recall Fezzan has a great deal of influence within the Alliance, more so than here in the Empire. But…I'm not certain the Alliance leaders would risk their position and power by interfering in Imperial internal affairs…the discontented nobles though…"

"Your Excellency," Hilda grimly began. "I apologize for not taking such a possibility into account beforehand. That said, if Fezzan is cooperating with either or both possible culprits, then their plot has undoubtedly reached an entirely new level of complexity. I dare to say…"

A knock on the doors interrupted Hilda, and Reinhard turned his attention to the doors. "Enter." He said.

The doors opened, allowing Reinhard's junior adjutant, Sub-Lieutenant Theodor von Lucke to enter. "Please pardon the interruption." He said with a salute. "However, I must inform Your Excellency that Vice Admiral Molt has committed suicide in his office."

Reinhard sat in silence for a long moment, and then briefly closed his eyes. "I see." He said neutrally. "Lucke, return his remains to his family for burial. And make certain that no harm comes to them as a result of this affair. Let Molt's death be the only one needed outside of the conspirators'."

"Yes sir."

Lucke bowed and then stepped out, closing the doors behind him. Hilda turned back to the Reinhard, who silently fumed in his seat for several moments, and then with a snarl of rage and frustration, slammed a fist down on his desk.

"DAMN IT!"

* * *

A/N

Lots of Hilda in this chapter, yes? To be honest, I'm not sure why Hilda never uses her title, especially when she's her father's heiress. She's always Fraulein Mariendorf, with the only time she's ever addressed by title being in season four, where Earth Cult leaders refer to her as 'Countess Mariendorf'.

Reinhard is being OOC at the end? Not really, since Kircheis didn't die hence Reinhard being less…hardened, and thus not so sanguine about the deaths of his subordinates as what happened in canon.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 6

Several hours following the abduction of the boy-emperor, a meeting was held in the Imperial Chancellery between all fleet officers with the rank of admiral and up, with Reinhard presiding. "Early this morning," Reinhard began. "There was an incident here at Neue Sanssouci. Specifically, a band of criminals abducted the seven-year old boy-emperor."

Reinhard paused to give the admirals time to take the fact in. "Kessler is currently on the hunt for the criminals," he continued. "But they have yet to be caught. I want to hear your opinions, both on the incident, and on potential solutions to the situation as it might develop. Speak without reservation."

High Admiral Mittermeier spoke first. "The criminals I suspect would be survivors of last year's aristocratic rebellion." He said. "If so, then their goal would remain the restoration of their power and influence, only this time not by force of arms, but by rallying support through the use of the boy-emperor as a figurehead."

Nods and murmurs of agreement went around the table. "Nevertheless," Admiral August Samuel Wahlen put in. "To actually abduct His Majesty the Emperor? We can't underestimate the daring and more importantly, the planning and application the rebel nobles are capable of."

"It does come as something of a surprise though." Admiral Fahrenheit remarked with crossed arms. "In my experience, most nobles within the Lippstadt League lacked such foresight much less the ability to actually and successfully apply what schemes they had in mind."

"Perhaps not," Admiral Fritz Josef Bittenfeld disagreed before leaning forward. "Given the thrashing we gave the confederates last year the survivors are more or less just a bunch of cornered rats."

"Admiral Bittenfeld makes a good point." Admiral Ernest Mecklinger said. "Desperation has been known to turn men into miracle workers."

"Not necessarily," High Admiral Reuenthal remarked. "Certainly, the rebel nobles were of little real opposition on the battlefield, but in situations such as what recently developed, they may be more formidable than we'd like to give them credit them for."

"I see." Mittermeier said with a nod. "Yes…that is a good point. As a military force the rebel nobles were of no real account, but as experienced conspirators and plotters in such games, no, forgive me, schemes and contrivances of intrigue and double-dealing, they are a force to be reckoned with. We mustn't be careless."

"But," Fleet Admiral Kircheis began. "Even if their goal is to rally support to themselves by using the abducted boy-emperor as a figurehead, that must be a long-term goal. Because as things currently stand, the political and social realities within the Empire would make their initial success a hollow one. Therefore, I would like to think that their long-term goal may be safely dismissed for now."

There was some surprise around the table at that. "Going by what you said," Reuenthal began. "I assume then that you mean we should focus on countering their short-term goals, at least at present."

"Precisely," Kircheis said with a nod. "We can make an educated guess as to what those are. For instance, one such short-term goal is to undermine His Excellency Prince Lohengramm's authority by removing its legal basis, specifically the Emperor's support."

"Such an inconvenience may be circumvented with relative ease." High Admiral Oberstein remarked. "What is the Empire without an Emperor? There are other, distant relations to the Goldenbaum Dynasty within our grasp, and it would only be a matter of discernment on who we should place on the throne to restore His Excellency Prince Lohengramm's legal basis to govern the Empire."

"Indeed," Kircheis said with another nod. "Which brings me to my next point, that is while the criminals must go to ground someplace to avoid the hunt for them and their prize, it cannot be someplace too remote, lest they be unable to manage developments as they occur to further their scheme."

"I see." Mittermeier said with a nod. "They need to be able to direct the development of the situation as it proceeds in order to ensure that it leads to their final goal. However, that may give us an advantage. Specifically, they would not be too far from Odin itself, or may not even leave the planet at all. Furthermore, their continued activities – even if in the shadows – will increase the likelihood of mistakes and such which would leave behind evidence and leads pointing in their direction."

"Unless of course," Reuenthal said. "They have a large enough network that they can afford to hide in someplace like along the frontier, where the sheer scale of the region plus the limited infrastructure would make it very easy to disappear in, while still having the ability to conduct the situation to their liking."

"However in that case it the sheer size of their network would become a liability in itself." Mecklinger pointed out. "It would increase the complexity of their conspiracy, and by bringing in more people increase the likelihood of their security being compromised, one way or another."

"Of course, there is that too." Reuenthal agreed with a nod.

"On the other hand though," Bittenfeld said. "It may be that we're giving the rebel nobles a bit too much credit here. Considering and planning for such complex plots is all well and good, prudent even, but it may also be that their plan, for all its initial success, may actually be quite short-sighted in scope."

"What do you mean by that?" Mittermeier asked.

"I mean that the rebel nobles may think that simply abducting the boy-emperor is enough to bring Prince Lohengramm down." Bittenfeld said. "If so, it won't be long before they broadcast of themselves and their prize."

"If that's the case then they'll be bitterly disappointed." Admiral Cornelius Lutz said. "Though, it would certainly make things easier for us."

"Either way though," Mecklinger said. "They've had a promising plan as far as it's gone. Hopefully it's only as Admiral Bittenfeld said it is, as it would not only be easier for us but has less potential to cause damage to the nation, but we mustn't be careless if it's more complicated than that."

There were nods all around. "At the very least," Admiral Helmut Rennenkampf said. "We can and must search and investigate thoroughly. Even if their plan is a complicated one, it will all be for nothing if they're exposed and neutralized quickly enough. And though things have changed in the Empire, we still have ample means to achieve such an end."

Nods of agreement went around the table. "On another note," Oberstein began. "We must also consider the Free Planets Alliance in this matter."

Sounds and expressions of surprise went up at that. "The rebel nobles and the republicans may seem like oil and water," Oberstein said. "But it cannot be denied that in both their eyes they have a common enemy in the form of Prince Lohengramm. There is also the fact that if the criminals find refuge in the Alliance, we won't be able to reach them without extreme difficulty on our part."

"However," Kircheis said. "Given their critical losses during both their failed invasion two years ago, and their own civil war last year, I would think the Alliance would prudently prefer to keep a low profile, at least until they recover. Strategically-speaking, they have no means to follow through on such a large-scale act of provocation as abducting the boy-emperor is, and the difference in power between our fleets too great should we decide to act on said provocation. Simply put, there is no profit in the Alliance for taking part in this conspiracy."

"That is certainly so, Fleet Admiral Kircheis." Oberstein agreed. "However, this assumes that the Alliance's leaders are capable of such foresighted planning and decision-making. Keep in mind that these are the same individuals who despite well-known limitations in manpower, fleet strength, and logistical capability, thought they could succeed in an invasion of the Empire."

Kircheis frowned in thought, and nodded after a moment. "I see." He conceded. "Certainly, I cannot deny that point. However, if that is the case, we will not be able to avoid responding with force. To do so would surely undermine His Excellency Prince Lohengramm's authority more than losing the legal basis that is the Emperor's support would."

Sounds of agreement went around again, but then Reinhard himself stood up at the head of the table. "Whether the criminals' plans are farsighted or shortsighted in scope will become clear soon enough." He said as the other admirals also rose to their feet. "However, I would not wish to jump to conclusions without any hard evidence. That said, if the rebels who call themselves the Free Planets Alliance are involved in this conspiracy, then we must of course have them take responsibility for their actions. In the meantime, we'll excuse the Emperor's absence from formal ceremonies with an official statement claiming illness on his part. Government affairs will continue as they have, under the authority of the chancellor's office. I will however, ask two things of you."

Reinhard briefly paused to sweep the admirals before him with his eyes. "First," he resumed. "It is to not disclose the fact of the Emperor's absence to those outside of this room during this meeting. And second, to ready your fleets to launch as needed in the event of an emergency within the foreseeable future. For now, those will be sufficient, though new orders may be given as the situation develops. If there is nothing else, then dismissed."

The admirals stood to attention and saluted as Reinhard left his place at the head of the table, and thence out of the meeting room.

* * *

"Lord Reinhard…"

Reinhard turned to look at Kircheis, and sighing leaned back against his desk. The two of them stood alone in the chancellor's office, and from the look of things Kircheis had something serious to speak about with Reinhard. "What's on your mind, Kircheis?" Reinhard asked. "Go ahead and say what you want to say."

"Lord Reinhard," Kircheis began. "Did you know about the plot to abduct the Emperor beforehand?"

Reinhard didn't answer at once, and just stared at Kircheis who stared back. There was no condemnation in the redhead's expression, or in his eyes and voice, just stoic resolution. Reinhard sighed. "No," he finally answered. "I did not. The abduction came as a surprise to me as well."

Kircheis sighed and bowed. "I beg your pardon, Your Excellency." He said. "But I had to know."

Reinhard smiled fondly before getting up to walk to the windows, staring out at the Chancellery grounds beyond. "Yes, you had to." He said. "And I can't deny that you've reason to be suspicious, after Westerland."

Kircheis stayed silent for several moments. "What will you do now, Lord Reinhard?" he eventually asked.

"That's just the thing, isn't it?" Reinhard answered, turning to face Kircheis. "It all depends on what will happen from here on out. If the criminals are caught, then all well and good. I'll have the truth of their conspiracy from them, and then have them take responsibility for their actions."

Kircheis nodded his agreement. "But?" he prompted.

Reinhard laughed and smiled at Kircheis. "You know me too well, don't you?" he asked, and Kircheis smiled ruefully. "Yes, it's as you suspect, Kircheis. Personally, I'm hoping that the Alliance is involved in this, and that the conspirators will give us an excuse to deal with the Alliance once and for all. However, that's just me being selfish."

"It would be best to further consolidate our reforms before turning our attentions once more on foreign matters."

"As you say, Kircheis." Reinhard said with a nod. "What I want to happen and what I need to happen are two different things. The former is me being selfish, and the latter is me being responsible. And the latter would be for the criminals to get caught, and we nip this whole matter in the bud. Then we can continue with our efforts to govern and reform the Empire without being distracted by this matter and all that it brings."

"What is the next step for your government, if I may ask, Lord Reinhard?"

"Hmm," Reinhard hummed while returning to sit behind his desk. "As you know, the Inferior Genes Exclusion Act is still technically in place, it's just that its enforcement has been indefinitely suspended for well over a century since the reign of Emperor Maximilian Josef II."

"You intend to finally repeal said law?"

"Yes, I do." Reinhard said with a nod. "I was thinking on the New Year, to further herald the next wave of reforms to sweep through the Empire."

Reinhard paused and sighed. "Well," he said. "That's still in the far future. We still have several months between then and now, and lots of things could happen and need to be done in that time."

"As you say, Lord Reinhard."

* * *

"How are things proceeding, Kesselring?"

"Count Landsberg has safely arrived along with the boy-emperor, and escorted by Captain Schumacher." Kesselring reported to Rubinsky. "I've had them discreetly taken to Count Remscheid's mansion, where they'll be spending the night. A courier is also being prepared, to transport them into the Alliance tomorrow."

Rubinsky nodded in approval. "That much is good." He said. "And? What of matters in the Empire and the Alliance?"

"With regard to the Empire," Kesselring said. "They have apparently correctly deduced that discontented nobles, with or without links to the Lippstadt League, are behind the abduction of the Emperor. Thus far the Imperial Military Police is searching high and low for any leads they can find, but it seems they've found nothing."

Kesselring paused and smiled. "We've had plenty of experience in covering up trails and planting misleads over the years." He said, and Rubinsky smiled and nodded himself.

"And how are they handling the Emperor's disappearance?" he asked.

"Apparently the Imperial Household's issued a statement that the Emperor's fallen ill, but nothing more."

"Not bad," Rubinsky conceded. "Though I wonder how things will go once the truth gets out."

"On another note," Kesselring said. "We've also noticed that the Empire has some suspicions that the Alliance may be involved in the conspiracy. Of course they are not – at least not yet – but this does mean that getting the Empire to go all in against the Alliance may be easier than expected."

"It was inevitable anyway." Rubinsky said. "Sooner or later, the Empire must conquer the Allaince. It is only a question of when, not if. Perhaps if the Empire had continued to crumble away under the Goldenbaum Dynasty, there might be some question to that, but under Prince Lohengramm and the nascent Lohengramm Dynasty…no, there can be no question to that fact. All we're doing is speeding things up a bit, and nudging developments to favor our interests."

"As you say, Territorial Lord." Kesselring said with a bow. "As for the Alliance…we're still feeling the waters, but we've reason to be hopeful that the Trunicht Administration's willing to back an Imperial Government-in-Exile as part of a long-term strategy to destabilize the Empire, and to install a government friendly to Alliance interests at Odin."

Kesselring paused to share another smile with Rubinsky, the two of them knowing without saying that in fact, all the Trunicht Administration would be doing was play into their hands, and handing Prince Lohengramm what he needed to unite the known universe and establish his Lohengramm Dynasty in earnest. "However," Kesselring continued. "They want to guarantee such a fact in writing."

"Oh?"

Kesselring nodded. "The details are still being discussed," he said. "And probably won't be finalized until after Count Remscheid has a chance to see them and perhaps make some changes to them, but the Alliance's minimum requirements for cooperation would be for the government-in-exile to commit to establishing a constitutional government in the Empire in the event of success."

"That's fine." Rubinsky said. "Let them make such an agreement, or a whole book of them, they will simply be what they are, mere scraps of paper, once Prince Lohengramm completely conquers the Alliance."

"I'll let our agents know then."

"Yes."

* * *

 _August 20, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

Yang Wen-li sat at his desk, typing hard at his personal computer while working on his manuscript. " _…the most basic definition of democracy,_ " he wrote. " _Has led to certain misconceptions. In particular, the rule of the people has come to be associated with the idea that a democratic government is simply a matter of giving power to those the people want to hold that power, and that any and all misdeeds by any such government can be excused by the fact that such is the people's desire. This however, is erroneous._ "

Yang paused to skip a line, and then continued typing away. " _This ignores the fact that democratic government is more than just the concept or definition of democracy._ " He wrote. " _When it comes to application in a government, the concept of democracy must be joined by a new concept derived from it. That is, a democratic government is a government by, through the people, and for the people. Therefore, the idea that a democratic government's misdeeds can be excused simply because such is the will of the people who elected the government is flawed, in the sense that it does not excuse responsibility at all. On the contrary, what it truly means is that a democratic government's failures are the responsibility of the people which elected the government._ "

Yang again paused to skip a line, and then continued to type at his computer. " _Another erroneous idea born of a misconception of the concept of democracy is the idea that a dictatorship established with popular support can be seen as democratic in spirit. It is not. Such is only a corruption of the ideal of democracy._ " He wrote. " _If government by and through the people indicates that a government's failures places responsibility to the people which elected the government, then government for the people indicates that a democratic government should not provide what the people **want** , but what they **need**. Put another way, the former, or the previously-mentioned example of a dictatorship established with popular support, are not proper expressions of democratic rule, but merely examples of what could only be considered as mob rule…_"

Yang trailed off, and sighing stretched his arms overhead. There was a knock on his door, and the former admiral turned in its direction. "Come in." he said, and the door opened to let Frederica enter his room.

"You've been working hard, I see." She remarked with a smile. "That's so unlike you."

Yang laughed. "Well, I suppose you have a point there." He said. "That said, I originally wanted to be a historian, so you could say I'm just trying to deal with my backlogged work. It's a pain to be honest."

Frederica giggled. "Okay, now that's more like you." She said. "Anyway, I've prepared something light for us at the living room, and you said to call you when it's time for the government's address."

"It's that time already?" Yang asked, looking at his wall clock before getting up. "Huh…time flies, doesn't it? Oh dear, oh dear…I'm not really looking forward to hearing what Trunicht has to say, but I do like to think of myself as a law-abiding citizen, so we might as well go through the motions anyway."

Frederica smiled indulgently as she walked with Yang to the living room, where they found Julian already seated on an armchair, watching at the TV which was showing a commercial. "What do you suppose the government has to say, admiral?" he asked.

"I'm not an admiral anymore, Julian." Yang said wearily. "As for what the government wants to say…I don't know, and to be honest I don't want to waste my time trying to figure it out in advance. In any case, we'll find out soon enough, I'm sure."

Julian nodded as Yang and Frederica took their seats. The commercials continued to play for a few more minutes, before the screen shifted to show an image of the Arle Heinessen Memorial, an instrumental version of the national anthem playing on the speakers.

"An important announcement by the Chairman of the High Council will follow." A computerized voice said. "All citizens, please pay attention, as special announcements will be given."

Yang watched silently and without comment…at least until the screen shifted to show the benignly smiling Job Trunicht, Chairman of the Free Planets Alliance High Council, and causing the retired admiral to cringe. "To all citizens of the Free Planets Alliance," Trunicht began. "I, High Council Chairman Job Trunich am most honored to tell you that a great and momentous event in the history of Humanity has taken place."

Yang sighed and sat back in his seat as Trunicht continued to spout flowery rhetoric. "Just get to the point already." He muttered.

"The other day," Trunicht continued. "A defector seeking personal safety has become a guest of our free nation. Many have come before in pursuit of freedom, fleeing from the cruel hand of despotism. However, this person's name has a ring that those who came before did not have. That is, Erwin Josef von Goldenbaum!"

Eyes went wide, and Yang himself half-rose out of his seat in shock, with Frederica and Julian alike leaning forward at the screen to stare at the image of the boy-emperor in court dress. "In the Galactic Empire," Trunicht continued after a few moments. "Having purged his opposition by military force, Reinhard von Lohengramm now abuses his authority as a military dictator. Treating the seven-year old Emperor as a tool, changing laws on a whim, appointing his subordinates…"

Yang sighed, tuning out Trunicht's speech while sinking back into the couch. "This is a disaster." He said, running a hand over his face. "I'd thought even Trunicht would have more sense than this, but…"

"Admiral…" Julian worriedly said while turning to Yang, but Yang had already refocused on the screen.

"…the unfortunates persecuted by Lohengramm." Trunicht was saying. "In so doing, we protect ourselves from the huge threat he poses towards all of Humanity. And by averting this threat, the Human race can make a new, lasting peace a reality! Now, I am honored to announce the members of the Imperial Government-in-Exile."

"Admiral…" Julian said again.

"Yes, I know." Yang said with a sigh. "What exactly are we going to do when Prince Lohengramm comes demanding we give the Emperor back? No, more importantly, seeing as I doubt Prince Lohengramm would do that, there's also our overwhelming strategic disadvantage against the Empire."

"Then, do you think war is inevitable then?" Julian asked.

"Technically, the war's never ended, Julian. It's just fallen into a lull." Yang said before sighing again. "But…now that it's come to this…it looks like the lull's ended, and things are going to be heating up more than they probably have since the war's start."

"Well, in that case, won't you…"

"…of war, High Admiral Merkatz."

"What?" the three people sitting in the living room gasped at the words from the speaker, and then gaped at the profile of Admiral Merkatz being shown on the screen. Frederica turned to Yang.

"Admiral…this is…"

"…let's not jump to conclusions." Yang grimly said, sitting back and crossing his arms. "First of all, it's not like Admiral Merkatz to involve himself in something like this. Second, even if he was, which I doubt, we don't have actual proof right now, so let's not throw baseless accusations and assumptions around. And finally…it may be that Admiral Merkatz may just have been named without his knowledge much less his consent."

"But…if that's the case…would Admiral Merkatz…"

Yang nodded unhappily. "Unfortunately, I don't think Admiral Merkatz would be able to refuse." He said. "As a guest of the Alliance government, he'd have to go along with this scheme, and sadly, while he may have had no part in this conspiracy up until now, and he would never have consented to it had it been brought up before it began…now that it's come this far…"

Yang trailed off, and both Frederica and Julian shared unhappy and worried glances with each other. After a moment though, the phone rang, leading Frederica to go and pick it up. "…will you be rejoining the military then, Admiral Yang?" Julian finally asked.

Yang sighed and scratched his head. "I'm going to have to eventually, don't I?" he said. "I'd prefer not to, especially since I was just about to make real headway into my historical and ideological research, but…we're going to need every hand we can get to deal with Prince Lohengramm's inevitable retaliation."

"So…when…?"

Yang glanced at Julian curiously, and then smiling shook his head. "Let's not get hasty, Julian." He said. "It's not like Prince Lohengramm can or will invade tomorrow. Big operations take time to plan if they're going to have a chance of succeeding, especially since Prince Lohengramm is such a strategic genius."

"Then…"

"We'll wait for Admiral Bewcock to call me back, like he said he would." Yang said. "I'm sure he's already working on it too, so let's not mess up his itinerary by going in uninvited. Too many cooks spoil the broth and all that, yes?"

Julian laughed. "Yeah, I see what you mean, admiral." He said. "Though, I wouldn't be surprised if Admiral Attenborough and General Schonkopf come calling later."

"I wouldn't be, either." Yang said with a sigh. "Really, those two. I half-expect them to come blabbing about some half-baked scheme of one sort or another, really…"

"Admiral Yang," Frederica said, returning into the living room. "It's Rear Admiral Attenborough. He says he needs to talk to you about something important."

Julian could only smile as Yang lowered his head with a sick groan, and a hand pressed to his face.

* * *

A/N

Poor Yang; just when he finally begins to get his teeth into his studies, the war suddenly heats up.

In the novels, the Alliance government actually did sign an agreement with the Imperial Government-in-Exile. That is, in exchange for the Alliance's support, the exiled high nobles agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy if they succeeded. This was not shown in the anime though.

On the bits and pieces of Yang's research, that one is mine, essentially some half-baked thoughts on the difference between mob rule and actual democratic government, plus an attempt at answering the question 'what if the masses want a dictator to rule over them?' Since I'm no authority on the subject, take such with a grain of salt, and for story-telling purposes it's a rough manuscript of Yang's, so if my musings through Yang are incorrect, that's because Yang would still edit/refine what he's writing in the future.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 7

 _I formally acknowledge that terrorists have abducted His Majesty the Emperor Erwin Josef II. The whereabouts of His Majesty, as well as the lawless criminals who abducted His Majesty, have both become clear. Those criminals are exiled high nobles led by a former Commissioner in Residence to Fezzan, one Count Jochen von Remscheid._

 _The villains, hiding among the rebels who call themselves the Free Planets Alliance, have illegally proclaimed the establishment of a government-in-exile. I hereby declare: having abducted the Emperor by illegal and cowardly means, the exiled high nobles who would turn back the pages of history, and once more usurp the rights of the people, will receive suitable punishments for their crimes. Neither shall the ambitious men of the Free Planets Alliance, who with their illicit dealings plot an unjust war against the peace and harmony of the known universe, escape their due retribution._

 _Such mistaken choices can only be rectified with appropriate punishment. Neither diplomacy nor compromise would be offered to such criminals, for they have neither the ability nor the intention for such. Only force will be suitable for their foolishness._

 _Hereafter, no matter how great the volume of blood that needs be shed, bear in mind that only such foolish criminals and conspirators are responsible._

The speech delivered by Prince Reinhard von Lohengramm on the evening of Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489, Imperial Standard Calendar August 20, was sharply in contrast to that earlier given by Chairman Job Trunicht. Where the chairman gave his speech on a grand stage and podium with cheer and pomp, the prince's speech was delivered from his office in the Imperial Chancellery, the location only adding to the gravity and solemnity of both the prince's topic and words alike.

The response was unanimous among the Imperial citizens. At first light on the next day, great numbers of people congregated to the squares and thoroughfares of the Imperial City, and on other cities across the Imperial Capital and indeed, on numerous other worlds across the Galactic Empire. The military police and their civilian counterparts moved quickly to peacefully disperse the citizens, reminding all that while freedom of assembly was guaranteed by Imperial law, any demonstrations and strikes must be registered beforehand with the civil authorities in the interests of public order.

Almost immediately, said civil authorities were swamped by angry citizens, and on August 22 great crowds numbering in the tens if not hundreds of thousands were marching down the streets of the Empire's cities, waving banners and placards, or even portraits of Prince Lohengramm himself. Other citizens, predicting a large-scale offensive being launched in the near future, lined up in long lines that went for blocks to volunteer for the Imperial Fleet.

One such crowd gathered before the Imperial Chancellery, brandishing placards and banners while roaring out their slogans. "Protect the rights of the people!" was one such slogan.

"Don't let them take over again!" was the usual follow up.

"Down with the high nobles and their co-conspirators, the so-called Free Planets Alliance!" was an especially popular slogan among the demonstrators and protesters.

The Alliance's reputation, already damaged by the perception born two years ago of just what 'liberation' by the Alliance involved, sank even further in the eyes of Imperial citizens. Furthermore, with reforms well underway in the Empire, the appeal of the Alliance to Imperial citizens had been largely neutralized, as things improved and seemed set to continue to improve in their own country. The fact that the Alliance would actually conspire with exiled nobles to reestablish the old regime and undoubtedly roll back the recent reforms thus only acted to cement a perception among Imperial citizens that the Alliance was no well-intentioned revolutionary group fighting for the rights of the people, but a foreign invader seeking only to conquer and pillage their country behind a façade of bringing democracy with their coming.

At the moment though, Reinhard cared little for the vast crowd assembled before the Chancellery. Though he was in his office in said building, the prince's attention was primarily focused on official business, specifically of discussing serious matters with one Nicholas Boltik, Fezzan's High Commissioner in the Empire.

"Might I ask how you have been doing, High Commissioner?" Reinhard asked from behind his desk. "Considering Fezzan's relationships with both the Empire and the Alliance, I imagine recent tensions have been quite…troublesome."

"That is so, Your Excellency. However, for all that I've been doing quite well." Boltik responded.

"I am glad to hear that." Reinhard said with a nod and a smile. "It wouldn't do if Fezzan and the Empire would be unable to properly cooperate with each other if the former's official representative to the latter is inconvenienced."

Boltik seemed to sense something was off, and looked warily curious. Reinhard for his part merely sat back in his seat, and folded his hands on his desk. "By the way, High Commissioner," he said. "I've heard an interesting story recently. Would you care to hear it?"

"I'm certain if it's of interest to Your Excellency, then it would be of interest to myself."

Reinhard laughed. "Indeed," he said. "Suppose we have three powers, A, B, and C. A, and B are more or less evenly matched, but C is much weaker than either. Furthermore, C while not directly between A and B is still within their vicinity, and both are opposed to each other. How would you suppose C can secure its security and even prosperity in such a scenario?"

"With respect Your Excellency, I'm not sure where you're going with this."

Reinhard laughed again. "Perhaps," he conceded. "But it will become clear soon enough. Anyway, back to my question, and the answer is simply for C to ensure that neither A nor B come to view C as an enemy, and indeed, to play them against each other. If A is under threat of destruction by B, then help A. If B is under threat of destruction from A, then help B. In so doing, C ensures that A and B are too busy hating each other to turn on C, and even profit from helping both sides."

Boltik was silent, with a neutral expression on his face. After a moment, Reinhard continued. "However," he said. "What would C do if B suddenly found its strength reduced such that even if C helped B, then A would simply destroy both?"

Reinhard smiled as Boltik began to look worried. "The answer is to help A, and thus obtain a share of the rewards from destroying B." he said. "What do you think, High Commissioner? It's an interesting story, yes?"

Boltik swallowed dryly. "I suppose so, Your Excellency." He said. "Though I remain unaware of what relevance it has to our meeting today."

"Then I will speak plainly." Reinhard said sternly. "I am sure you are aware that long before the present there were rumors of Fezzan playing both the Empire and Alliance against each other, preventing either from gaining a major advantage and sabotaging attempts at finding common ground to bring an end to the war. Supposedly, the goal was to preserve Fezzan's profits from having a monopoly on any and all trade between the Empire and the Alliance, but also in the long-term to have the Empire and the Alliance destroy each other, thus leaving Fezzan to pick up the pieces and gain sole control over the known universe."

"I am aware of such rumors Your Excellency," Boltik said warily. "However, I assure they are simply that: rumors. Fezzan is a loyal subject state of the Empire, and any and all of our actions ultimately redound to its favor."

Reinhard nodded slowly. "Such rumors are rumors indeed." He said. "However, of late new rumors have been whispered, that the recent abduction of the Emperor was contrived in part by Fezzan, as a means to force the Empire which has recently turned inwards to once more escalate the war, and by cooperating to conquer the Alliance obtain concessions with regard to interstellar shipping and communications from the Empire. What do you think of that, High Commissioner?"

Boltik looked a bit troubled, though he did smile a weak smile. "It's an interesting story, Your Excellency," he admitted. "But while it might play to the stereotypes unfortunately attached to us Fezzani, we would never do something as criminal as be complicit in the abduction of the Emperor."

"Perhaps," Reinhard conceded. "And as you say it does play to stereotypes, which is rather unfair in itself. And of course, in the end it is also just a rumor. There is no proof whatsoever in such allegations, is there now?"

"As you say, Your Excellency."

Reinhard nodded. "Then let us get to business." He said. "You claim that the Dominion of Fezzan is a loyal subject state of the Galactic Empire, do you not?"

Boltik blinked and nodded. "So we are, Your Excellency." He said.

"You would also claim that Fezzan's actions ultimately redound to the Empire's favor?"

"I would, Your Excellency."

"Would you also admit that the Empire has been generous to Fezzan?"

"We Fezzani are of course grateful for the autonomy allowed us by the Empire, and of course, our freedom of trade and diplomacy."

"Then you would not be averse to Fezzan providing what support is needed and expected to punish the Alliance and their co-conspirators for their crimes against the Empire?"

"Of course we not averse, Your Excellency."

"And what sort of aid would Fezzan be capable of offering?"

"Wars are expensive business, Your Excellency." Boltik pointed out. "Though the details will be a matter of negotiation between our financial institutions and your own, we are of course willing to provide what funds the Empire cannot provide for itself in the prosecution of the war against the Alliance. Furthermore, to keep troops on the frontlines fed and supplied would require plenty of supplies, so much so that the Imperial Fleet may need to supplement its logistics with civilian merchantmen. Though again, the details would be a matter of negotiation between Your Excellency's subordinates and Fezzan's shipping institutions."

Reinhard nodded in approval. "Excellent discernment on your part, High Commissioner." He said. "And such assistance by Fezzan should they be needed is most impressive and appreciated. Truly Fezzan is a loyal subject state of the Empire, and it will not be forgotten."

Boltik bowed. "I am honored by your praise, Your Excellency." He said.

Reinhard nodded again and then smiled and narrowed his eyes. "That said," he said. "While such aid is welcome, we would ask for one more thing to ensure our success."

"And what might that be, Your Excellency?" Boltik asked.

"It should be obvious with some thought." Reinhard said. "That is, rights and freedom of passage through the Fezzan Corridor."

Boltik reeled back as the blood drained from his face. "T-that's…!" he stammered out as Reinhard's expression turned crafty.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a smirk. "Your face is suddenly so pale. Didn't you say just now that Fezzan is both loyal and profitable to the Empire, and is willing to provide the needed and expected support? If so, then there should be no problems with allowing us passage through the Fezzan Corridor, is there?"

"T-that's…Your Excellency…"

"Or does Fezzan expect the Empire to pile up corpses in the Iserlohn Corridor," Reinhard interrupted. "And either restore the balance of power or indeed, have the Empire and the Alliance destroy each other by exhaustion, thus allowing Fezzan to pick up the pieces?"

Boltik was silent, pale and sweating as he stood caught in Reinhard's gaze. "Wipe your face, High Commissioner." Reinhard told Boltik. "Your appearance at present is most undignified for someone of your rank. On the main topic however, I would refer to the story I related earlier, on how C can ensure its interests by keeping A and B from seeing C as an enemy, or indeed, by cooperating with A and sharing in the spoils after victory."

Reinhard smirk widened. "You're an intelligent man, High Commissioner." He said. "I'm sure you know what I mean. Both for Fezzan, and yourself."

* * *

"That impudent blond brat! How dare he treat me like that?"

Boltik paced angrily in his office, while his secretary looked on worriedly. "What's happened?" the latter asked.

"He might have no proof of it," Boltik said. "But with hindsight he's managed to see through enough of our plans. Not just this recent one, but also our policy with regard to the Empire and the Alliance for much of Fezzan's existence."

The secretary gasped, while Boltik continued to pace. "The worst part is that he might just start digging deep, and actually find something that he could use to break the whole box open." He said.

"Is that even possible?"

Boltik glared at his secretary. "Fezzan's been around for nearly a century." He said. "We've covered our tracks as best we can, but with that long amount of time passed and with our activities reaching across the Empire and the Alliance, something's bound to have slipped at one point or another. And it only takes one. Not to mention it's not just the Empire we'll have to worry about if Prince Lohengramm decides to see us as an enemy."

"The Alliance?" The secretary asked, looking and sounding confused. "But…with all they owe us, could they really afford to stand against us? And politically-speaking, to cooperate with the Empire?"

"Don't be so naïve." Boltik snapped. "All they owe us would be gone, just like that, if they decided to see us as an enemy. Their debts, trillions of dinars worth, erased and gone, while all the collateral we own, mines, factories, properties and the like in the Alliance would be seized and auctioned off. Politically? How do you think the Alliance citizens would react to knowing we were playing them for fools for nearly a century? And were aiming for their mutual annihilation with the Empire? They'd unite behind their government in an instant."

"T-that's…"

"That impudent blonde brat," Boltik hissed, again beginning to pace. "He's pushed us into a corner, either we cooperate with him and give and take what he demands and offers, or he'll start finding ways to crush us alongside the Alliance."

"…and? What does he demand and offer?"

"Rights and freedom of passage through the Fezzan Corridor," Boltik growled. "And a guarantee of our interests, and…if I read him right, his backing for the post of territorial lord."

The secretary blinked, and briefly looked away in thought before turning back to Boltik. "But," he began. "Is that really so bad? For both Fezzan and yourself…"

The man trailed off as Boltik slammed his hands onto his desk. "It might seem that way." He said after a long moment. "But this isn't just a matter of Fezzan and myself. There's another factor at play here, dancing in the shadows that even that blonde brat doesn't know of."

"…the Earth Cult?"

Boltik nodded. "That said," he said. "We've been backed into a corner. We may have no choice but to play along with that blonde brat, but after we do, we'll be walking a tightrope."

* * *

"With all due respect Your Excellency," Hilda began. "I think you take too great a risk with this matter. Speaking freely, do you really think you can twist Fezzan around your little finger?"

"They tried to twist me around their little finger." Reinhard snapped angrily. "There's no proof, but I have no doubt that this incident had a Fezzani connection, one going up to the highest levels of their government. That man…Rubinsky…the Black Fox of Fezzan…that man never dances himself, only ever standing in the shadows playing the flute for the dancers on the stage…"

Oberstein looked unaffected, while Kircheis looked sadly sympathetic. While he personally agreed with Hilda that Reinhard was taking too much a risk by playing the game with the Fezzani, Kircheis also knew that when Reinhard was in this mood there was no reasoning with him.

After a somewhat long rant, Reinhard walked over to the windows to gaze out at the grounds beyond. "Oberstein," he began after several moments. "In the past you mentioned ways of circumventing the undermining of my authority by the Emperor's abduction. I also imagine that you've already put the preliminaries of a countermeasure in play. And? What is it?"

Oberstein bowed. "There is the granddaughter of the third Empress of the Emperor Ludwig III." He said. "Her father is Count Pegnitz, who stayed neutral in last year's civil war. A man with no real interest beyond his collection of fine ivory objects. It will have to be an Empress Regnant, but it will do."

"How old is she?"

"Eight months."

Hilda and Kircheis looked disturbed, while Reinhard silently looked back out the windows. "A seven-year old boy-emperor is succeeded by an eight-month old baby…it's a preposterous farce." He eventually said. "A fitting sendoff for the Goldenbaum Dynasty."

Kircheis blinked, and then despite the disturbing form it took, found himself agreeing with the sentiment. "Should I instruct the Imperial Household to make the appropriate preparations?" Oberstein asked.

"Very well, make it so."

"On a related note," Oberstein continued. "Count Pegnitz's payments for fine ivory objects are in arrears. A number of civil suits are currently being entertained by the merchants involved. How shall we settle such?"

"What is the amount required?"

"Seventy-five thousand Imperial Marks."

"Reach a settlement." Reinhard said, finally turning from the window and returning to his desk. "It wouldn't do for the Empress' father to go to debtor's prison. Take the money from the Imperial Household's budget, I'm sure they can afford it."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Oberstein said with a bow. "On another note, I find this recent incident as underlining the necessity for a certain degree of watchfulness on the Empire's part, with regard to internal affairs."

Kircheis and Hilda glanced at Reinhard, who tilted his seat back and closed his eyes in thought for a minute. "That much is true." He eventually conceded, leaning forward with his hands folded on his desk. "However, I will not even consider bringing back the secret police. The very existence of such an organization has no place in a civilized society. Nevertheless, the earlier point stands…I'll consider the matter further. I'm sure a functioning solution can be found without needing something as barbaric as a secret police to exist."

Oberstein bowed again. "As you wish, Your Excellency." He said.

* * *

"What do you think, Kircheis?"

"I find myself torn, Lord Reinhard." Kircheis answered, the two of them sitting in the back seat of a car as they were driven to Schwarz Manor. "On one hand, I find myself concerned that you've decided to play the game as it were, with the Fezzani."

Reinhard chuckled. "You worry too much, as always." He said, and Kircheis smiled.

"Lord Reinhard, you're being mean." He said. "But on the other hand…certainly, there is no proof of Fezzan's complicity in the plot to abduct the boy-emperor, but even so…the way it was conducted…the way everything points to the Alliance just seems too clear. Therefore…"

Reinhard nodded. "It's too obvious the Alliance is behind it, and Fezzan's hands too clean." He said. "It may be argued that we're being too paranoid, but given the near-century's worth of cold cases and dead trails that seem to peter out just when they were beginning to go in Fezzan's direction…"

"…suspicion is much warranted." Kircheis concluded.

"Indeed," Reinhard agreed. "Furthermore, strategically-speaking there's no reason for us to restrict ourselves to trying to break through the Iserlohn Corridor alone, when in fact the best strategy is to break through both the Iserlohn and Fezzan Corridors at once and engage the Alliance on two fronts, and catching them in a large-scale, double-envelopment operation. The neutrality of the Fezzan Corridor exists only as a _de facto_ matter. There is no law which guarantees it."

"Fezzan's status as an Imperial subject state should also mean there should be no real objection to our passage through the Fezzan Corridor." Kircheis added.

"There is that too." Reinhard said with a nod. "And yet so hesitant are they to let it happen. It's rather curious, isn't it? It's almost as if they don't want us to win, and yet they do want us to win all at the same time."

"It may be that if the Empire wins too easily Fezzan's leaders may find us too difficult to manage, and secure the maximum possible profit for them."

Reinhard was silent for a long moment. "That damn Black Fox," he finally growled. "Try and put strings on me to pull on from the shadows, will he? And to succeed to a small degree? I'll be certain to punish him appropriately for that."

Kircheis looked troubled. "Lord Reinhard," he said. "Please remain calm. I understand your anger, but please don't allow it to cloud your judgment. The fate you grant Adrian Rubinsky should not be decided by personal vendetta, but by justice. Please be patient. I have no doubt when the time comes, sufficient evidence will come to light such that both justice and your anger will be satisfied in equal measure."

Reinhard glanced at Kircheis, and then sighing nodded once. "Yes, you're right Kircheis." He said. "I shouldn't let my emotions get the better of me like that. If I get into the habit of doing so, then one day I might find myself looking into the mirror only to find Rudolf staring back at me."

"Lord Reinhard…"

Reinhard sighed again. "In any case," he said. "Boltik should be easier to manage than Rubinsky would be, so once that matter is dealt with even for the short-term, we'll have Boltik govern Fezzan for us."

Kircheis nodded in agreement. "Oh yes, that's right." Reinhard said. "What do you think of Oberstein's matter earlier?"

"With regard to internal security?"

"That's right."

"The point cannot be denied," Kircheis admitted. "But I find myself agreeing with you Lord Reinhard, that internal security does not in any way justify the existence of an organization that cannot in any away be called anything other than a secret police. A civilized society can and should do better."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Kircheis looked outside the window at the streets of the Imperial City passing by. "Perhaps a dedicated civilian investigatory unit?" Kircheis ventured. "With limited or rather well-defined mandates to be watchful for terrorist and similar activities?"

Reinhard nodded slowly as he contemplated the idea. "Yes, that could work." He said. "Under the Ministry of Justice, and not the Ministry of the Interior. It'll also have to work alongside the military police…"

"Perhaps Judge Bruckdorf could be useful here?"

Reinhard nodded in agreement. "He might." He said. "Very well, I'll speak with him tomorrow, and ask for his opinion on the matter. Depending on the result, I'll put him to work putting together a charter for said organization."

Reinhard paused and then smiled and nodded gratefully at Kircheis. "That was a fine suggestion, Kircheis. Thank you." He said.

Kircheis bowed in acknowledgement.

* * *

Where in the Empire the citizens had united in anger and outrage against the Alliance following the abduction of the boy-emperor and the formation of a government-in-exile, things were not so clear cut in the Alliance. Right wing organizations and citizens such as the Patriotic Knights Corps rallied behind the government, though even some among them questioned the bringing under the Alliance's wing of a group of exiled nobles much less the heir of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, against whose family the Alliance had been waging war for well over a century.

Indeed, most Alliance citizens – especially in the wake of Prince Lohengramm's speech – found themselves wondering whether or not all their government had done was provoke the Empire. Peace activists and anti-war groups attempted to act on such sentiments, only to be quickly put down by their own government, which refused to hear of any such dissent against its decisions and policies in the interests of national unity.

Legal shackles long present on the media in the interests of national security but rarely ever used to their fullest extent in the interests of transparency were now implemented in full, filling the screens with pro-government, and pro-war rhetoric and propaganda. Despite that however, the whispers of dissent against the government's decisions and policies simply wouldn't go away, and not just among the citizens in general, but even within its own ranks and that of the military.

"There is nothing to worry about." Trunicht said at a press conference meant to dispel such dissent. "We have the impregnable defenses of Iserlohn Fortress to count on to break the tide of the Imperial Fleet. Our brave Alliance Forces themselves could not take said fortress until the genius of Miracle Yang won the day, and there is none like him in the Empire. So no matter what Lohengramm and his cronies do, there is nothing for us to fear!"

"On that note sir," one reporter began. "What of Miracle Yang himself? Will he be returning from retirement to lead our Alliance Forces once more to victory?"

"Please understand that I cannot discuss the details of Miracle Yang's retirement for matters of national security." Trunicht said. "However, I can say that said retirement was itself part of our strategy against the Empire. That is all I can say on the matter."

"Chairman Trunicht's quite the tongue, doesn't he?" Admiral Bewcock remarked to his adjutant, Captain Pfeifer as they watched the press conference in the former's office.

"Sir?"

"He's basically implying to the press that Yang's retirement was a ploy, maybe to make the Empire think the Alliance is less formidable than it is, and when they take advantage of that he'll come and save the day."

"I see." Pfeifer said with a nod. "But, it's not like the chairman can say any different or worse, can he?"

"I suppose so." Bewcock conceded. "And it's not that far off from the truth either. We need to get Yang back in uniform as soon as possible. That said, I don't think we're going to make much progress getting that to happen at least until after the first Imperial attack. I hope we can weather it otherwise things will be even more difficult for us than they already are."

"Yes, sir."

"Well," Bewcock said, fixing his things and getting up from his desk. "At the very least we should get the preliminaries done so when the time comes, we can send Yang to the field with only a bare minimum of fuss over the paperwork. Now then, let's get going."

"Going? Sir?"

Pfeifer stared after the admiral as he made to leave his office. "Did you forget?" Bewcock asked. "We're having lunch with Yang today. Oh dear, oh dear, you're much too young to be so forgetful."

"Y-yes sir!" Pfeifer could only respond as he chased after his superior.

* * *

A/N

Writing Reinhard being – as Kircheis would put it – mean is surprisingly funny to write. It's also very funny – for me – to have him pull a Yang on Boltik, by describing the concept of the balance of power, and how it can be used to predict Fezzan's suspected to be treacherous course.

Interesting contrast between the Alliance and Imperial citizens, yes? The former have on paper more rights and freedoms than the latter, and yet it's the latter who are more in touch with their government than the former are.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 8

"I see." Bewcock said while wiping at his mouth with a table napkin. "So you think the Empire may attempt an invasion through the Fezzan Corridor while simultaneously attacking through the Iserlohn Corridor."

"I understand it sounds rather far-fetched," Yang said. "And I'll also admit it's just conjecture without much proof behind it on my part, however…"

"No," Bewcock interrupted with a raised hand. "I agree with you. In fact, you could say it's a natural strategy to take for an enemy with the numbers for such a large-scale operation. Specifically, to engage the defenders on one front, drawing their attention and available forces to that front, and then striking on another front while the defenders are busy elsewhere. It's a simple and old-fashioned strategy, and with good reason: it works more often than not."

"If I remember correctly staff exercises on just such a scenario were prepared and conducted in the past."

"Correct," Bewcock said with a nod. "However, all those staff exercises were operating on the premise that we'd have enough fleets to engage the enemy on two fronts simultaneously. But with our losses at Amritsar, and the battles leading up to it, to say nothing of last year's coup d'état, we barely have enough fleet strength to hold the Iserlohn Corridor in depth."

Yang nodded. "I was afraid of that." He said. "If that's the case, then we must avoid a direct confrontation with the enemy within or in the vicinity of the Fezzan Corridor. Instead, we should draw them in, lengthening their lines of supply, and then sever them."

"Essentially using the same strategy the Empire used against us during our failed invasion two years ago." Bewcock said. "However, that then runs into the problem of numbers. While we should be able to draw the enemy in and then cut them off, we don't have the numbers to engage and destroy their fleets individually at the same time. In fact, you could say we'd be at risk of being tied down by one or two fleets, in which time the rest of their fleets would close in to trap and destroy our forces."

"I know." Yang agreed with a sigh. "However, I don't think the Empire would disperse their combat strength in such a fashion, especially if Prince Lohengramm himself is in command. On the contrary, based on what we know of his character, Prince Lohengramm is likely to concentrate his fleets into a single, massive formation, the better to concentrate their power to decisively achieve his strategic objectives."

"But," Bewcock began. "If that's the case, then in order to defeat Prince Lohengramm with such forces under his command, we'd need to gather all our available forces in a similar fashion. And even then, we'd still be facing a significant disadvantage."

"Yes," Yang said. "However, I see a chance of winning there. Specifically, we need to decrease the tactical disadvantage as much as possible, and then upon engaging the enemy's main fleet in decisive battle, aim at their only strategic weakness."

Bewcock blinked in surprise and incomprehension. "And that is?" he asked.

"Prince Lohengramm himself, of course." Yang said.

Bewcock blinked again in surprise, but then narrowed his eyes in understanding. "I see…yes, that makes sense." He said. "Prince Lohengramm is the effective ruler of the Empire at this point, and more importantly I recall him to be both unmarried and childless too."

Yang nodded. "If we can kill Prince Lohengramm," he said. "Then it's likely his subordinates will start fighting among each other for the right to succeed him, and return to the Empire to establish and secure their positions. If he had a child and thus an heir, then things might be different, but since he doesn't…"

Yang trailed off, but Bewcock nodded in understanding. "It gives us a small of chance of winning." He said. "Hmm…earlier you said we needed to reduce our tactical disadvantage as much as possible, right? If so, then a scorched earth strategy might still be useful."

"Yes," Yang said. "That's what I was thinking as well."

"That said," Bewcock said with a sigh. "Until the Empire does invade through the Fezzan Corridor, I doubt our government leaders will acknowledge the danger."

"The neutrality of the Fezzan Corridor only exists as a _de facto_ state." Yang said. "It's not actually _de jure_ set in stone by any legal statute."

"I know." Bewcock said. "However, the fact that said status has been upheld by all sides for nearly a century despite no legal requirement on anyone's part to do so, has essentially given birth to a deeply-rooted belief that such a fact will continue on indefinitely."

"Is there nothing you can do, admiral?"

Bewcock hummed in thought while crossing his arms. "I'll do what I can," he said. "But I don't think it'll do much good. And without getting actual approval from our government, I can't actually do anything on the field to prepare to defend against an invasion via the Fezzan Corridor."

Bewcock paused and nodded. "Well, there is something I can do." He said. "I can prepare the operational plans for such in advance, so when the Empire does invade, it'll just be a matter of getting the approval of the rest of the Joint Chiefs and of course, the defense secretary."

Yang nodded. "It's not much," he said. "But every little counts."

Bewcock nodded in agreement. "That said," Yang began. "If we can avoid having to fight on two fronts at once, it'll be even better."

"…you mean to deter Prince Lohengramm from passing through the Fezzan Corridor?"

Yang nodded while taking a drink. "Yes." He said. "Of course, that runs into the problem of Fezzan being unable to oppose the Empire directly with military strength. However, as in a decisive battle against the Imperial Fleet, we may be able to take advantage of Prince Lohengramm himself here."

"Oh?"

"Prince Lohengramm is a populist leader, and not simply as part of his goals but also as a result of his character." Yang said. "If we can stir up popular resistance against the Empire on Fezzan itself at the grassroots level, I don't think Prince Lohengramm will be willing to press the issue."

"I see." Bewcock said with a nod. "Certainly, if the only way to secure Fezzan and with it his lines of resupply is with harsh and repressive measures, then Prince Lohengramm's own principles, no matter how autocratic he might be as a leader, will deter him from passing through the Fezzan Corridor."

Yang was silent for a few moments. "Are you worried about something?" Bewcock eventually asked.

"Yes," Yang said. "The problem with this plan is getting the Fezzani themselves to go along with it. I've also recently been worrying about the possibility of the Empire and Fezzan actually cooperating with each other in secret to destroy the Alliance."

"What?"

"But why?" Captain Pfeiffer asked. "What could they possibly gain from such collusion? On the contrary won't they simply be leaving themselves vulnerable to annexation into the Empire?"

"On the surface it seems that way." Yang agreed. "But, think about it: our chances of winning against the Empire are very low, and are very much dependent on succeeding in killing Prince Lohengramm in battle. A battle which, even if we were to draw the Imperial Fleet deep into our territory, deplete their supplies and wear them down before engaging, would still see us greatly-outnumbered, against an enemy with strong, psychological motivation to win, and under the command of some of the best commanders the Empire has ever produced."

Bewcock nodded slowly. "The Fezzani have a strong and indomitable spirit of independence." He said. "But they're also very pragmatic and realistic to a fault. If they're convinced resistance against the Empire is pointless, then they might just bargain their cooperation for guarantees of their assets in the Empire, and postwar concessions within Prince Lohengramm's new order."

"Or more likely Emperor Reinhard I, Founder of the Lohengramm Dynasty, and Ruler of the Known Universe." Yang grimly predicted, and Bewcock nodded in agreement.

"Nevertheless," Yang continued after a long moment. "It might still be worth trying. Of course, it again runs into the problem of needing the government's approval to send agents to Fezzan, to raise anti-Imperial, pro-neutrality sentiments among the general populace and to organize and lead a resistance when the time comes."

"I might be able to get the defense secretary to do so, under the right pretext," Bewcock said thoughtfully. "But what?"

Yang didn't have an answer, and after a few moments Bewcock sighed and shook his head. "I'll have to think on it some more." He said.

Yang nodded. "That sounds good." He said. "With the Alliance's future on the line, we can't afford to be careless. Everything we can use against the Empire, we'll have to consider how to use them best, considering what little we have left."

Bewcock nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which," he said. "Yang…I've begun preparing the paperwork for your reactivation as an admiral. I'm being discreet about it to keep the government busybodies and their lackeys from butting in, but it shouldn't take too long on our end. Prepare yourself."

Yang sighed and nodded. "It can't be helped, can it?" he said with a small smile.

"No, it can't." Bewcock said.

"Though, you mentioned 'on our end'. What does that mean?"

"Well, it's no secret the government isn't too fond of you." Bewcock pointed out. "And ultimately, given you were a flag officer, if you're to be reactivated, we'd need the approval of both the defense secretary and the chairman."

"In other words…until I'm really needed and they can't oppose it any further for risk of a public backlash," Yang concluded. "They won't give their approval."

"Exactly."

Yang sighed. "Oh dear, oh dear," he said. "Our Alliance is facing what might be its end, and our leaders are still playing politics."

There was a glum silence on the table at that. After several moments though, Bewcock coughed and got to his feet. "Well," he said. "In any case, once the Empire launches its offensive they won't be able to play politics as cheerfully as they are now. Things will change by then. And I'll do what I can to prepare for what we discussed earlier, whether to deter the Empire, or to fight them for when they come calling. Well then…"

Yang nodded, and with a nod of his own Bewcock left followed by his adjutant.

* * *

Yang had been in something of a pensive mood ever since they returned from having lunch out with the Space Fleet Commander, and as she placed a tea set on the living room table, Frederica decided to address it. "Admiral," she began. "Is something the matter?"

Yang blinked and glanced at Frederica, and then after a moment sighed and scratched his head. "Well, yes…" he hesitantly said.

Frederica briefly hesitated, and then forged on. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked.

"…I suppose so." Yang said before pouring himself some tea. Taking a drink, he sat back, and then turned back to Frederica. "I was just wondering that's all, on if we win how will we affect the course of Human history?"

"The course of Human history?"

Yang nodded. "Yes." He said. "Killing Prince Lohengramm will likely save the Alliance…but what about the Empire? Or the whole of Humanity, in fact? The Empire has a bigger population than we do, and we can't ignore that, or the negative effect our winning will have on them. They'll lose a great leader, and worse than that, we'll likely spark a civil war…"

"Admiral…"

Yang silently sipped at his tea. "For the sake of the Alliance," he said after several long moments. "We'll be throwing them into chaos. From a moral perspective, it's repugnant. And no matter how it ends, I doubt they'll forgive us for a long time, if ever."

"But…is that really any concern of ours?" Frederica asked. "I would think the future of the Empire can only be decided by its own people…"

"Frederica," Yang gently but firmly interrupted. "Don't leave enemy civilians out of the calculation when considering matters of war."

"I…yes, sir. My apologies."

Yang chuckled. "You don't need to call me 'sir', you know." He said before sighing. "I don't know if I've told you before, but nations only exist for convenience's sake. But we can't and shouldn't be held back by convenience when it comes to things such as these."

"No…I suppose we shouldn't."

Yang sighed and took a drink of his tea. "Well," he said. "I guess we can only hope for the best in our situation."

Frederica smiled and nodded sympathetically. "I suppose so." He said. "As Arle Heinessen himself once said, the night is the darkest is before the dawn."

"So the stories say, but any political or revolutionary leader in history could have said that." Yang said absentmindedly. "Though, in the context of our times, it'd make more sense and have more weight when Heinessen said them."

Frederica giggled. "Yes," she said. "Admiral."

* * *

 _September 19, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

Once again, the fleet commanders of the Empire had assembled in a meeting room at the Imperial Chancellery. Reinhard of course was at the head, presiding over the meeting. To his right was Kircheis, as Deputy Space Fleet Commander, and to his left Oberstein, as Reinhard's chief of staff.

"Today's meeting will be to finalize the operational plans for the upcoming campaign to crush the rebels who usurp for themselves the title of Free Planets Alliance." Reinhard began. "On that note, first of all the matter of Iserlohn Fortress is to be disregarded as an existential obstacle to an invasion of the rebel heartland, as we will make use of an alternate route to strike at the Alliance's heart. Specifically, we will use the Fezzan Corridor to strike into the Alliance."

Reinhard paused as sounds of surprise went around the table, the admirals looking at each other briefly before turning back to Reinhard. "As part of this plan, Fezzan will renounce the policy of neutrality it has previously adhered to so strictly, and fulfil its obligations to the Empire as an Imperial subject state." Reinhard continued before gesturing.

At the gesture, the doors into the meeting room opened, allowing High Commissioner Boltik entry. The man coughed awkwardly as he entered, meeting the veiled but skeptical gazes of the Imperial fleet commanders. "For the sake of this operation," Reinhard said. "This gentleman will be cooperating with us, in exchange for fair and just treatment."

"In other words, he's selling out his nation?" Bittenfeld snarled in outrage.

"Not at all!" Boltik hastily defended himself. "All I'm selling is Fezzan's neutrality, which by this point doesn't really contribute in any way to Fezzan's profits or wellbeing. In contrast, cooperation with the Empire is not only more in line with Fezzan's interests, it has actual legal basis as opposed to continued neutrality."

To his credit, Bittenfeld allowed Boltik to finish his defense before responding. "So you say," Bittenfeld contemptuously remarked. "But I'm sure you can find a similar pretext to sell out your own family and friends."

"Admiral Bittenfeld," Kircheis interjected with a mild note of reproach. "Please calm yourself. I'm sure His Excellency has his reasons for trusting the high commissioner."

Bittenfeld subsided at that, while Kircheis turned and nodded at Reinhard. Reinhard nodded back before returning to the other admirals. "For all that it may seem to be self-serving," he began. "I am inclined to think that High Commissioner Boltik could simply have worded his earlier statements better. He is not incorrect in that neutrality is of no further benefit to Fezzan, or more importantly, cooperation with the Empire not only has legal basis, but is an obligation on Fezzan's part."

Reinhard smiled at the admirals' surprise. "After all," he continued. "Is Fezzan not an Imperial subject state? If so, should we not have the freedom to pass through their territory should we have need to do so?"

"I see." Mittermeier said with a nod. "So that's how it is."

"Sometimes the answer to a dilemma can truly be found in plain sight." Reuenthal said with a chuckle. "If we'd realized this sooner, this war would have been over decades ago."

Reinhard nodded in approval. "Nevertheless," he continued. "It is also suspected that there will be those among Fezzan's leadership who would dispute such a fact, and hinder us with needless complications. Furthermore, not for naught is the current territorial lord known as the 'Black Fox', and there are suspicions against him which must be investigated and addressed, up to and including that of conspiring against the Empire and even treason. No, if not for this man's willing cooperation, then our passage through the Fezzan Corridor may be effectively impossible, or enough time lost that many advantages that would have been accrued lost to Alliance preparations. For this reason, I give my word to provide him with due courtesy on the Empire's part, in exchange for his word with regard to Fezzan's cooperation."

Boltik looked slightly smug as the admirals muttered among themselves. "Of course," Reinhard continued after a moment. "I understand you have your own opinions on this matter. Reuenthal, what do you think?"

"Personally I'm not too willing to completely trust in Fezzan's cooperation." Reuenthal replied. "For instance, once we pass through the corridor and enter Alliance territory, what if they turn their coat and seal the corridor behind us? We'll be cut off in enemy territory. Please consider the risk, Your Excellency."

"I am in agreement with High Admiral Reuenthal." Bittenfeld spoke up again. "However, in such a scenario, then the logical response would be a show of military force, is it not?"

"In short, have our fleets turn back into the Fezzan Corridor?"

"Exactly," Bittenfeld said with a nod. "Fezzan doesn't have much military strength if at all. It shouldn't be too much trouble."

"And if the Alliance Fleet should attack us from the rear at that time?" Reuenthal pointed out. "Then what? I doubt we'd lose, but our losses would be such that they can't be overlooked."

The admirals nodded in agreement before turning back to Reinhard. "Reuenthal's opinion is a prudent, but well-thought one." He conceded after a moment's thought. "Nevertheless, we will pass through the Fezzan Corridor regardless. Disregarding its strategic value and focusing only on the Iserlohn Corridor, will only lead to repeating the past mistakes of the Alliance Forces, and littering the route to Iserlohn Fortress with wrecked ships and frozen corpses."

Reinhard paused to regard his admirals. "The neutrality of the Fezzan Corridor exists only as a _de facto_ matter." He said. "There is no law which recognizes it as _de jure_. The fools in the Alliance are free to think as they please, but we have no obligation to share their fantasies. Indeed, simply obtaining strategic surprise alone is worth passing through the Fezzan Corridor. Observe."

At that, a large screen on one side of the room lit up, displaying the Empire and the Alliance's positions along their respective galactic arms, and the two corridors linking them to each other. "In the first phase of the operation," Reinhard said, lights representing fleets appearing on the display as he spoke and moving to his words. "We'll send a large force into the Iserlohn Corridor. It goes without saying that this is merely a diversion, however. With the Alliance's attentions focused on Iserlohn, our main force will break through the Fezzan Corridor in the second phase, and invade the Alliance."

Reinhard rose to emphasize his point. "With Yang Wen-li retired, and the other Alliance commanders not worth commenting on," he continued. "The forces dispatched to Iserlohn should then break through at this time as the third phase of the operation, and attack the remaining Alliance forces as they move to defend either or both the Iserlohn and Fezzan Fronts."

"But," Reuenthal said. "What if Yang Wen-li is returned to uniform by his government? Then what?"

"It changes nothing." Reinhard said dismissively. "Though that man might delay our ultimate victory longer than it would normally take, once our forces break through both corridors, our victory is virtually assured."

Reuenthal chuckled and nodded. "The risks would also be greater," he said. "But as soldiers, we all accepted any and all risks we might face the moment we put on our uniforms for the first time."

Reinahrd smiled in agreement, as did other admirals. "And what will be the operation's name?" Muller asked.

Reinhard smiled wider, before making a subtly theatrical gesture. "The name of the operation," he said. "Is Ragnarok."

"Ragnarok?"

"The Final Battle?"

"The Twilight of the Gods?"

"Your Excellency!" Bittenfeld burst out, enthusiastically rising to his feet. "Please give my Black Lancers the honor of being our forces' vanguard!"

"Your Excellency, please give my fleet the honor of being part of the main fleet!"

"Your Excellency, my fleet as well!"

"Your Excellency!"

"Your Excellency!"

* * *

"Is there no way for peaceful coexistence with the Free Planets Alliance?"

"No."

Hilda was taken aback at the matter of fact way Reinhard responded. "My apologies," Reinhard said. "That came out colder than expected."

"No…Your Excellency…"

"Nevertheless," Reinhard said, setting down his paperwork and sitting back in his seat. "I was rather surprised you'd ask such a question. As I recall you yourself once mentioned in the past that we must inevitably destroy the Alliance at some point in the future, did you not?"

"I did." Hilda admitted.

Reinhard leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk, and smiling at Hilda. "Then I suppose this involves your concerns with regard to the upcoming operation," he said. "And the fact it's only been a matter of months since we set policy on focusing on internal affairs and consolidation of reforms before returning to the war, yes?"

Hilda did not reply, though the slightly-guilty expression on her face was answer enough. Reinhard sighed and sat back again. "Their actions have forced our hand." Reinhard said wearily. "If they'd arrested the kidnappers and returned the Emperor, then we would have had no reason to go on campaign at this time. But instead, they signed their own death warrants, and moved up the date for the Alliance's inevitable destruction."

Hilda stared at Reinhard with a veiled expression of sadness, and after a few moments Reinhard met her eyes. "Fraulein," he said after a moment. "Do you think I am losing my way?"

Hilda looked lost for several moments, and then she steeled herself. "If I deny it," she began. "Will I please Your Excellency?"

Reinhard was silent for a few moments, and then he rose from behind his desk. "I will be honest with you, Fraulein, honest in a way I've never been to any save my sister and to Kircheis." He said while moving to a window to look out at the stars in the sky. "So I ask of you, be honest with me as well. I admit that when I first stepped foot on this path it was only to regain that which had been taken from me, and to obtain the power to do so, and to never let it be repeated again. But as I continued down this path, and learned more and more of the world around me, I realized the power I had gained, continued to gain, and now seek to gain, could be used to set the history of this universe back along its proper path. So I will not turn back…I cannot turn back. If I do…to whom shall the universe turn to restore itself to unity and harmony? Shall it turn to exiled nobles who care only for their lineages, or to petty demagogues who move fleets and armies in the name of sophistry and profit? So please, Fraulein, be honest with me, I ask of you."

"Prince Lohengramm…"

The countess trailed off, but the quiet sympathy and support in her voice was answer enough. Without looking back at her, Reinhard gave a small nod of thanks. "Then," he said. "Tomorrow we shall announce the Emperor's abdication."

On the following day, September 20, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489, the 37th Emperor of the Galactic Empire's Goldenbaum Dynasty, Erwin Josef II, was deposed in _absentia_ , and was succeeded by the eight-month old Catherine I. She was the first Empress Regnant of the Goldenbaum Dynasty…and ultimately, the youngest, and final ruler to be produced by the dynasty.

As part of the proclamations accompanying the abdication, Prince Reinhard von Lohengramm announced the repeal of the Inferior Genes Exclusion Act in honor of the occasion, and officially and publicly announced the upcoming offensive against the Alliance. In response, the Imperial Fleet began preparations for said offensive, holding exercises and gathering supplies and mobilizing its logistics.

The name of that operation is Ragnarok. And it would herald the descent of the curtains over the history of a nation.

* * *

A/N

The meeting is largely as in canon, but I've changed the dialogue with regard to Boltik and his arrangement with Reinhard, with more focus on the legality of the action, and less on the outcome as it was in canon, to reflect Reinhard's enduring idealism in this timeline. The evening talk with Hilda is similar, though it reflects less on Reinhard's idealism, and more on him being more willing to allow others to get close to him. Contrast to canon, where Kircheis' death led Reinhard to believe he could not allow others to get close to him, lest he only bring them misfortune and death, like what happened to Kircheis.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 9

"What?"

Reinhard turned angrily at Oberstein's report. "More than a hundred men were killed during the exercises?" he demanded.

Oberstein nodded in confirmation. "Yes, sir." He said. "However, given the exercises were live fire in nature, it was inevitable. Indeed, given the scale of the exercises, the number of casualties is fairly light."

Reinhard looked furious, but after a moment let it go and resumed walking towards the meeting room, Oberstein walking a step behind him. "We've also confirmed through our own channels that Boltik has indeed been feeding false information back to his government on Fezzan." He continued. "As such, it can be concluded that they remain unaware of the full scope of our plans for the upcoming operation."

Reinhard nodded in acknowledgement. "Speaking of Boltik, however," Oberstein said. "I would advise against putting too much confidence in his ability to effectively govern Fezzan. Furthermore, I would like to draw attention to the postwar value of Fezzan, and the desirability to place it under direct control."

"I know." Reinhard said. "However, immediately annexing Fezzan after a military occupation is likely to cause problems with the populace. Problems best nipped in the bud, by gently easing acceptance of their inevitable annexation. Hence starting off with Boltik's promised post of viceroy having less authority than that of the current post of territorial lord."

"Certainly," Oberstein conceded. "It would be best if Fezzan's populace were to meekly accept if not outright welcome direct imperial rule. A slow, but steady annexation drawn out over time would facilitate that…as would, in the event Boltik fails to govern Fezzan, drawing Fezzani antipathy towards him, allowing us to portray ourselves favorably when we restore law and order in the aftermath of his failure."

Reinhard nodded, inwardly disgusted by such Machiavellian but necessary measures. As they approached the meeting room, two Imperial Court Guards standing on guard duty saluted smartly before opening the doors leading into the room.

The Imperial Fleet's commanders were assembled in the room, seated not at a table but standing at attention in neat lines before the dais and its throne on one side of the room. Today would be the day unit assignments for Operation Ragnarok would be given, and anticipation was high.

Reinhard took his place before the throne, and returned the salutes of his commanders before taking his seat. "As you know," he began. "The first phase of the operation will be to send a large force into the Iserlohn Corridor. The commander of the Iserlohn Front will be Fleet Admiral Kircheis."

Kircheis gave a small bow in acknowledgement. "In addition to Kircheis and his fleet," Reinhard continued. "Admirals Wahlen and Lutz along with the fleets under their command will also be dispatched to the Iserlohn Front."

Awed murmurs rose up at that, as between the three commanders the Iserlohn Front would be allocated an estimated forty thousand ships. For their part, Admirals Wahlen and Lutz merely saluted sharply. Indeed, they'd somewhat expected to be placed under Kircheis' command, given they'd already served under him before, during the Lippstadt War, with their forces being tasked to secure the outlying starzones while Reinhard and their main force focused on Geiersberg.

"Once the Alliance's attention has been focused on the Iserlohn Front, we will proceed to the second phase of the operation." Reinhard continued. "That is, to capture the Fezzan Corridor, and secure a bridgehead for the invasion of the Alliance. High Admirals Mittermeier and Reuenthal will have joint command of this phase of the operation."

Again, awed murmurs rose up, not just at the deployment of _both_ the Twin Stars to a single front, but also the allocation of ships: between them, Mittermeier and Reuenthal would have an estimated thirty thousand ships to seize the Fezzan Corridor with. The two admirals calmly saluted to express their acknowledgement.

Reinhard nodded. "Once the Fezzan Corridor is secure," he said. "The rest of our fleets will launch for the next phase of the operation. The second formation of the main fleet will be under Admiral Muller. I will personally command the third formation, with Vice Admirals Altringen, Brauhitch, Carnap, Grunemann, and Thurneysen supplementing my fleet with their forces. Executive Secretary Mariendorf will also be joining my command staff for the operation, to advise on political matters with regard to military occupation of the Alliance. The fourth formation will be under Admiral Steinmetz, while the rearguard will be under Admiral Rennenkampf."

Reinhard paused to allow the admirals to take his instructions in, and again awed murmurs were going around, as the Fezzan Front would ultimate see an allocation of an estimated _ninety thousand_ ships once the main fleet arrived. "Furthermore," Reinhard finally continued. "High Admiral Kempff will also launch at that time, taking Geiersberg Fortress and its station fleet to reinforce the Iserlohn Front. Upon breaking through the Iserlohn Corridor, their forces will also participate in the invasion of Alliance territory."

Again, Reinhard paused, as more whispers rose up. Once the Iserlohn and Fezzan Fronts were won, then the Empire would be invading the Alliance with an estimated one hundred and fifty thousand ships, as well as one mobile fortress with firepower comparable to Iserlohn's.

"Admiral Eisenach and his fleet will have the task of occupying the Fezzan Corridor, and securing our line of supply back to the Empire." Reinhard continued. "With regard to the Iserlohn Corridor, occupation after the fall of Iserlohn Fortress will be the duty of Admiral Lutz. Admirals Kessler and Mecklinger will remain on Imperial Capital Odin, and continue with their duties as Capital Defense Commander and Military Police Chief Superintendent, and Head of Logistics, respectively. Admirals Fahrenheit and Bittenfeld will also accompany the fleets headed for the Fezzan Front, but will be withheld from the fleet formation as tactical reserves. The operational launch date will be November Fifth, with the departure of Fleet Admiral Kircheis and the other fleets under his command."

The admirals saluted as one, acknowledging their orders. Later on that same day, information was sent from the Odin High Commissioner's office back to Fezzan, and there quietly passed _sub rosa_ to the Alliance Commissioner in Residence on Fezzan, who then sent the information back to the Alliance. The information confirmed a large-scale military operation to be launched by the Empire on November Fifth, with a force of forty thousand ships to be dispatched to the Iserlohn Corridor.

Additional fleets were also being prepared for launch…but as far as the Alliance was concerned to reinforce the initial group of fleets sent to the Iserlohn Corridor. No information on an attack on Fezzan, or on the Alliance through the Fezzan Corridor, were leaked to either Fezzan or the Alliance.

* * *

"…normally such a large-scale deployment would call for the declaration of a State of Emergency," Defense Secretary Negroponte was saying at a high-level meeting at the Alliance Department of Defense in Heinessenpolis. "But given the impregnable state of Iserlohn Fortress, it hardly seems necessary to take such extreme measures. It is unlikely in the extreme, if not outright impossible, for the Imperial Fleet to actually invade Alliance territory."

Agreement rose up from the gathered officials and officers…with one exception. Face set stoically, Admiral Bewcock raised a hand for the defense secretary's attention. "You have something to say, Admiral Bewcock?" Negroponte asked.

"With respect," Bewcock began. "I'm not too confident in placing all our eggs in one basket. You say Iserlohn Fortress is impregnable…and yet we ourselves proved that not to be the case. And behind the Imperial Fleet is a strategic genius who was able to crush our forces two years ago, with only then-Vice Admiral Yang saving us from complete annihilation at the time."

"What are you trying to say, admiral?" Alliance Forces Joint Operations Chief Admiral Dawson asked.

"I'm saying that I cannot believe that Prince Lohengramm would begin something that he'd have no chance of winning." Bewcock answered. "I'm not saying Iserlohn would fall…and indeed, that may in fact be the whole point."

"What do you mean?"

"By attacking Iserlohn first," Bewcock continued. "He'll draw our attention in that direction, and while we're looking there confident in our ability to hold out, the main force of the Imperial Fleet will strike through the Fezzan Corridor."

There was dead, utter silence for a few moments, and then chuckling broke out across the meeting. "The Space Fleet Commander's concerns are not unheard of," Alliance Forces Chief of Staff Admiral Osman began. "But outside of staff exercises beyond the bounds of possibility. There is absolutely no reason for Fezzan to discard its neutrality, set in stone for nearly a century, and conspire with the Empire."

"Agreed," Dawson said. "If anything, doing so would be tantamount to suicide for Fezzan. After all, if the Empire wins the war, then there's absolutely nothing stopping them from annexing Fezzan outright."

Agreement went up from the meeting. "Let's not forget that with all our loans from Fezzan," one government official said. "They have vested interests in our nation's continued existence. Interests that would cease to exist if the Empire ever managed to conquer our nation. I doubt if Fezzan would accept such an outcome."

Bewcock silently weathered the storm of agreement before speaking. "It's true that Fezzan has interests in our nation," he said. "However, the collateral for those are mines, properties, enterprises, and the like in our territory, and not the Alliance itself. If such collateral is guaranteed by the Empire, then I doubt Fezzan would care much if the Alliance ceased to exist. Unless of course…the Fezzani have been investing in the Alliance government itself…"

Outrage exploded at the admiral's words. "Are you trying to say that Alliance officials have been taking bribes from Fezzan?" one official demanded angrily, and slamming a fist on the table.

Bewcock stayed silent, and Negroponte coughed diplomatically. "Admiral," he said. "Please be careful of what you say. There's no need for baseless accusations to be thrown around, is there?"

Agreement went up again, though Bewcock continued to stay silent. "In any case," Negroponte said. "As long as there is no proof for the Space Fleet Commander's worries, they must be dismissed as baseless speculation. With that said however, I believe we can all agree that we must prepare our defenses in the Iserlohn Corridor. The admiral does have a point in that Iserlohn Fortress isn't nearly as impregnable as we might think. The Empire lost it because they got careless…there's no need for us to make that same mistake, is there?"

"That's certainly true." Dawson admitted. "At the very least, we need to have Rockwell and his command to go on alert."

"We should also prepare reinforcements, just in case." Osman added. "It might not be needed, but let's be prudent at any rate."

Negroponte nodded in agreement. "Are there any objections?" he asked.

There were none, and the defense secretary nodded again. "Well then," he said. "If there's nothing more, then we're done here for the day."

As the gathered officials and officers began leaving, Bewcock remained seated, arms crossed and head lowered in thought.

* * *

 _November 20, Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489_

On November 20, fifteen days after departing from Imperial Capital Odin, the first echelon of the Imperial Fleet's Iserlohn Front commenced the Eighth Battle of Iserlohn. At the heart of the Imperial Fleet was the twenty thousand-strong Kircheis Fleet, positioned like a large, three-dimensional diamond. To its left and right, the Wahlen and Lutz Fleets, numbering ten thousand ships each, were positioned in conical formations but with individual ships oriented facing their flank and Iserlohn Fortress beyond.

"Admiral," Rear Admiral Bergengrun reported to Kircheis. "All ships are in position and report battle readiness."

Kircheis nodded, seated on his flagship, the _Barbarossa's_ command throne. "Very good, rear admiral." He said. "Commence operational maneuvers."

"Yes sir."

Barely a minute later and the Imperial Fleet opened fire, neutron beams lancing out from the Imperial Fleet's main batteries, searing through open space to strike at Iserlohn Fortress. Liquid metal rippled at the impacts, but to no real effect. The neutron beams either scattered on impact, their force and energy absorbed harmlessly by the fortress' liquid metal armor, or were deflected into space.

"It doesn't even shudder." Bergengrun remarked.

"There's no reason it should." Kircheis admitted. "Nevertheless, even if this phase of the operation is essentially a distraction, let's do all we can. Continue the bombardment for one hour, and then as planned, reorganize the fleet with ourselves as a reserve, and the Lutz and Wahlen Fleets prepared to strike directly at the fortress."

"Yes sir."

Kircheis nodded as Bergengrun began relaying orders, and then turned back to the main display. He watched in silence as beams continued to burn through the void to strike harmlessly at the fortress beyond, patiently but confidently conducting the battle as per the predetermined plan.

As planned and ordered, the Imperial Fleet bombarded Iserlohn Fortress for an hour, and then ceasing fire, reorganized their formation. The Kircheis Fleet withdrew to the rear, taking up the role of tactical reserve, while the Wahlen and Lutz Fleets positioned themselves before the fortress.

The Wahlen Fleet took up a standard diamond formation, while the Lutz Fleet positioned itself just outside the Thor's Hammer's effective firing range, and arranged in a half-enveloping position.

"Now then," Bergengrun worriedly said. "Will the enemy take the bait?"

"We will see soon enough, rear admiral." Kircheis calmly said.

* * *

In Iserlohn's command center, Admiral Rockwell and his command staff quietly conducted their side of the battle. "Admiral," Rockwell's adjutant began. "The enemy's lead formation has taken a half-enveloping formation just outside of the main gun's effective firing range."

Rockwell sat silent for a few moments. "What do you think, Rear Admiral Murai?" he asked, turning to his chief of staff.

"Most likely," Murai replied. "The enemy is planning to take advantage of the main gun's dead angle, by forcing us to keep it oriented at the fleet in front of us."

"And in the meantime they'll strike elsewhere on the fortress?" Rockwell asked, and Murai nodded. Rockwell thought for a few moments. "Standby on floating gun turrets and the Thor's Hammer but don't surface them just yet. Rear Admiral Fisher,"

The deputy fleet commander saluted on the display linked to his flagship, the _Shiva's_ command deck. "Take ten thousand ships from the station fleet," Rockwell ordered. "And chase the enemy's lead formation off. But don't go too far either, and stay inside the fortress' effective firing range."

"Yes, sir!" Fisher said with another salute, before the display cut out.

"Rear Admirals Huu and Alarcon," Rockwell continued, the two wing commanders saluting in acknowledgment. "Stay on standby for now, just in case Fisher needs to be reinforced in a hurry."

"Yes, admiral." Huu replied. Alarcon looked unhappy in contrast, though.

"Admiral," he began. "Why are simply sitting here and letting the enemy take the initiative? We should take the fight to the enemy, and drive them off for good!"

"Calm down," Rockwell said. "The battle has only just begun. There's no need for us to show our hand this early on."

"…yes sir."

Rockwell settled back on his seat, watching the main display as the ten thousand ships under Rear Admiral Fisher launched and moved to engage the enemy. He expected them to open fire, ranging shots at least…

…but no one certainly expected the Imperial Fleet to suddenly advance at high speed, and slip _into_ the spaces between Alliance ships and squadrons. Rockwell and the rest of the command staff were stunned, listening as the chatter of their forces were dominated by sharp orders from Fisher to hold fire, that the enemy was too close, and the danger of friendly fire or getting caught up in the destruction of enemy ships too great.

Suddenly, Rockwell realized what this was: parallel pursuit. A tactic pioneered by then-Vice Admiral Sydney Sithole during the Fifth Battle of Iserlohn, wherein he'd position his ships right next to the enemy's, and keeping the Empire from firing the Thor's Hammer without hitting their own ships.

At least, that had been the idea. The Imperial commander had fired the Thor's Hammer regardless of catching multiple Imperial ships in its line of fire, and forcing Admiral Sithole to retreat. And it wasn't something Rockwell could do himself.

Judging from the outburst behind him, Murai had also realized what the enemy had done. "…at this rate," the chief of staff said. "The enemy will be able to get close to the fortress without worry for return fire!"

"I know!" Rockwell snapped. "We need to open up the space between our fleet and the enemy. Rear Admirals Huu and Alarcon, launch and flank the enemy fleet. Hurry before the enemy can send in reinforcements. Rear Admiral Fisher, open up your formation as best you can, and chase the enemy off before they can get close."

* * *

"Admiral," Bergengrun reported. "The enemy has sent out reinforcements. Furthermore, what ships they've already on the field are opening up their formation, likely to open the space sufficiently to engage without risk of friendly fire."

"It can't be helped." Kircheis said. "Send in Admiral Wahlen's fleet, and order them both to engage as needed. Cancel the planned boarding attack on the fortress as well."

"Yes sir." Bergengun said, relaying the orders. Several minutes later and flashes erupted in the distance as battle was joined.

Kircheis leaned forward, studying the tactical display. Surrounded by the enemy on three sides, Lutz had reorganized his fleet into a spindle with the heavily-armored battleships on the outside, and had launched Valkyries to start a melee to force the enemy to likewise launch their Spartanians, and also tone down their artillery fire to avoid friendly fire.

Meanwhile the Wahlen Fleet had also joined the battle, but while they'd launched their own Valkyries to reinforce Lutz's fleet, the Wahlen Fleet as a whole was keeping back, and focusing on long-range bombardment to support Lutz's fleet. "Well," Kircheis finally said. "At least the enemy won't be able to fire the Thor's Hammer."

"However," Bergengrun said. "The fortress is able to provide artillery support with its floating gun turrets, and of course add their own fighter squadrons to the battle."

Kircheis nodded slowly. "In any case," he said. "The parallel pursuit tactic to get close to the fortress has failed. Not that it really matters, given our goal isn't really to capture the fortress, but still: signal Bulow. We'll split our fleet into two, and redeploying above and below the battlefield, bombard the fortress to force them to submerge the floating gun turrets. In the meantime, with the Wahlen Fleet providing cover fire, have the Lutz Fleet withdraw as quickly as possible. Likewise, have the Wahlen Fleet withdraw in coordination with the Lutz Fleet. Let's not give the enemy a chance to use the Thor's Hammer against us, shall we?"

"Yes sir."

Kircheis sat back as Bergengrun relayed the orders. It took a couple of hours to pull off, but in the end, the Wahlen and Lutz Fleets successfully withdrew without getting fired on by the Thor's Hammer. "We'll withdraw an additional light-second," Kircheis ordered. "But we'll keep a force of five thousand ships as an advance guard to warn us of an enemy sortie. In the meantime, we'll repair damaged ships, resupply, treat our injured, and have our troops get a rest. We'll resume the battle tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"The enemy fleet is withdrawing for the most part, however five thousand ships are positioning themselves between their main fleet and the fortress."

"We've beaten them off for now." Brigadier General Jawaf, Fortress Defense Commander remarked.

"However," Colonel Linz of the _Rosen Ritter_ said. "They're probably just regrouping and licking their wounds. They haven't actually left."

"Should we perhaps launch an attack ourselves?" Huu asked over the encrypted line.

"No, they outnumber us." Murai disagreed. "Even if launch the whole station fleet, the enemy has twice as many ships as we do. Until we're reinforced, we shouldn't attempt to engage outside of the fortress' effective range."

"I'm in agreement with the chief of staff." Rear Admiral Cazerne, Fortress Inspector-General said. "We should keep our losses to a minimum, at least until reinforcements arrive."

"As am I." Fisher said.

Huu and Alarcon looked mutinous, but all looked to Rockwell. "What is the commander's decision?" Murai prompted after several moments.

Rockwell stayed silent for a few more moments. "I am in agreement with the chief of staff." He finally said. "Two on one are bad odds, at least outside of the fortress' effective range. If we're to go on the offensive, it'll be after we've been reinforced, or we should draw them into the Thor's Hammer's line of fire and wipe them out in one blow."

There were nods of agreement at that, reluctantly on the part of Huu and Alarcon. "In any case," Rockwell said. "The enemy does seem to be regrouping for now. Let's take advantage of this lull in the fighting to do the same. All ships, withdraw back to the fortress. Have our men rest in shifts, and send out search and rescue to pick up as many survivors of what ships were destroyed as we can. Rear Admirals Murai and Cazerne, I'll leave it to you two."

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir."

* * *

On the following day, November 21, at ten in the morning, the Imperial Fleet resumed its offensive.

The fortress shook slightly at an explosion. "The enemy is sending individual squadrons on randomized courses around the fortress' circumference," Rockwell's adjutant reported. "And while staying out of our effective firing range, are launching missiles at the fortress."

"What's the status of the liquid metal armor and the fortress' outer hull?" Rockwell asked.

"The former is holding up very well." Cazerne replied. "The latter is as well, but not as well as we'd like. Nothing's really compromised, but the outer hull will take a beating if this goes on for too long."

"I'm more worried about the psychological effect this bombardment has on our troops and the civilians." Murai said. "Unlike a beam bombardment, this bombardment is actually shaking the fortress."

As if to drive home the admiral's words, the fortress shook at that moment. It wasn't much, but it did shake. "Anti-ship laser-fusion missiles, is it?" Rockwell mused, and his command staff nodded. "Alright, while overall we're holding out, we can't let this go unchallenged. We'll respond similarly, sending out two squadrons for every enemy squadron. Have our floating gun turrets provide supporting fire. Don't get too close though, just chase them off."

Rockwell settled down as his orders were given. Within minutes, ships were being launched, and several minutes after that and skirmishes were erupting all around the fortress as Imperial and Alliance ship squadrons exchanged fire, the latter supported by the fortress' floating gun turrets.

"Can't you predict the enemy's courses?" Rockwell demanded an hour into the battle. "Even if they're randomized, we should be able to follow a squadron as it approaches the fortress, and pinpoint the closest it will get to our effective range."

"We can, but it'll take time."

"That's fine." Rockwell said. "Standby to fire the Thor's Hammer, and target the squadron closest en route."

"If they're outside the effective range, it won't do much good." Murai pointed out.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter." Rockwell said. "The psychological effect should be enough to force the enemy to back off. Once we throw them off a few times, the enemy might just decide to pull back to regroup."

Cazerne and others nodded, though Murai looked skeptical. Several minutes later, and the report came in. "Target locked," a petty officer said. "Firing in four minutes and forty seconds."

"Keep the Thor's Hammer submerged for as long as you can." Murai ordered. "Surface it only for as long as needed to charge a shot, and then submerge it again before moving it to the next target."

"Yes sir."

Rockwell nodded in agreement, tapping his console as the minutes ticked by. Finally, the Thor's Hammer surfaced, those able to watching with anticipation as energy built up on Iserlohn's liquid metal armor before lancing out in a ravening beam of x-rays, visible only thanks to the sheer intensity of the radiation surge rendering interstellar gases along the laser's line of fire incandescent.

Cheers broke out soon after, as while the approaching Imperial ships avoided destruction (barely), they quickly backed off. Rockwell cracked a smile, while below the command deck petty officers and enlisted worked quickly and with anticipation as they moved the Thor's Hammer to fire on another target.

* * *

"That was the Thor's Hammer!"

"Yes," Kircheis nodded. "So they're going for the psychological effect, I see. Rear admiral, what are our losses so far?"

"Sir," Bergengrun acknowledged before moving to check on a nearby console. "We've lost six hundred ships so far, along with about forty-five thousand men. However, the majority of those were from yesterday's fighting, and we've inflicted similar casualties to the enemy."

Kircheis nodded. "That should be enough then." He said. "Have our ships withdraw away from the fortress, reform the formation, and then withdrew all fleets back to the Imperial exit of the Iserlohn Corridor. Also, send an encoded transmission to Imperial Capital Odin, and request reinforcements."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"It's begun."

Reinhard and Hilda stood on an observation platform, the wind blowing through their clothes and hair, watching as Mittermeier and Reuenthal launched to commence the second phase of Operation Ragnarok. "Yes," Reinhard agreed. "It's begun. The beginning of the end, Fraulein."

Hilda glanced at Reinhard for a moment, and then back at the sky, at the tens of thousands of ships rising into the skies, from carriers and battleships to destroyers and engineering ships. And beyond, past the moons of Odin, she knew Geiersberg Fortress was also launching on its long-delayed journey to the frontlines of Iserlohn.

The countess lowered her head and closed her eyes. " _I'll be going away for quite a while._ " She thought. " _I should pay Heinrich a visit before I leave._ "

Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489, Imperial Standard Calendar December 09, far beyond Reinhard and Hilda's sight, the sea of the stars stretched out to infinity, awaiting the conquerors to come.

* * *

A/N

Well, it's finally begun: Operation Ragnarok.

Just a technical note: the guns mounted on Imperial and Alliance warship are particle cannons, and while they fire at relativistic speeds, they don't actually reach light speed. However, the main gun of Iserlohn is explicitly a laser cannon, an x-ray laser to be specific, and thus its beam moves at light speed. Hence it should be invisible…but it is not. However, I can and would put that up to interstellar gas along the laser's line of fire being excited and thus left incandescent by the sheer intensity of the radiation surge that is a fortress' x-ray laser.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 10

 _"You do it. I could probably give a stirring address if I put my mind to it, but I'm sure you'd be able to do so just as well, if not better and with less effort. No, Mittermeier, you know it's true. And it'd be more natural and relatable to the men if you give it. Sadly, I'm much too aloof to pull it off the way you can, even if I try."_

Mittermeier remembered the ending of his conversation with Reuenthal over the private line between their flagships, on who would address their combined fleet and reveal their actual destination to the troops under their command. In the end, Reuenthal had demurred in Mittermeier's favor, arguing that Mittermeier, with his middle-class background and character, was more relatable and could give a more natural and stirring address than the aloof and aristocratic Reuenthal could.

Mittermeier couldn't really disagree, though he found himself worrying over how Reuenthal had described himself. It wasn't exactly inaccurate, and not particularly wrong either, but the way Reuenthal had so fatalistically attributed as such to himself…

…Mittermeier could only question how his old friend could begin to move out from under the shadow of his past. It wasn't healthy for him to stay underneath it, and if he did, it might just destroy him. And Mittermeier didn't want that.

 _But…what about Reuenthal? He probably knows that already. If so…does he plan to do anything about it?_

 _And if not…why?_

 _Why does he insist on hurting himself like so? On hesitating to make the better choice, and brooding on taking that final step onto the path of his own destruction?_

Mittermeier internally shook his head and set the worries aside as he stepped onto his flagship, _Beiowulf's_ command deck. It was a personal matter, and had to be addressed later. Right now, he had his duty to perform. And in any case, here and now, he knew Reuenthal would do the same.

Duty over personal matters.

Mittermeier's adjutant handed him a handheld mouthpiece, and Mittermeier drew himself up in preparation to address the combined fleet. "To all ships in the fleet," Mittermeier began. "This is High Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeier. I will now make an important announcement, but all hands, listen as you are. Our fleet is not headed for the Iserlohn Corridor. No, we're headed for the Fezzan Corridor. I repeat, our fleet is headed for the Fezzan Corridor."

Mittermeier paused for a few moments to allow the information to sink in, noting the shocked expressions and reactions of his bridge crew at his announcement. "However," he eventually continued. "Our ultimate objective isn't merely to occupy Fezzan. Instead, using Fezzan as a base of operations, we will pass through the corridor, and subjugate the rebels who usurp for themselves the title of 'Free Planets Alliance'. Thus, we will put an end to the bloody and centuries-long struggle that has divided Human civilization. Indeed, such is the ultimate objective of this campaign."

Mittermeier again paused, and then resumed after a few moments. "Our duty is not merely to fight and conquer," he said. "It is also to turn the pages of history. And it won't be easy to do so. The Alliance has a large stretch of territory, have plenty of ships and men to their name, and excellent commanders of their own. However, with the Fezzan Corridor under our control, we will gain an overwhelming advantage! Therefore, fleet command has great expectations of your valor!"

Loud cheers went up across the fleet, and Mittermeier handed the mouthpiece back to his adjutant who replaced it. "All ships," Mittermeier said with a nod. "Coordinate with the Reuenthal Fleet, and prepare for warp jump. Our destination, the Fezzan Corridor!"

* * *

At the orbital end of the Fezzan Orbital Elevator is the Fezzan High Orbit Station. Located over thirty thousand kilometers above the surface, the facility is a major spaceport, one of the largest in the known universe, servicing both passenger craft and cargo freighters. The station also includes extensive shipyard facilities, and includes storage bays and services for civilians as they wait for departure for either the surface or to elsewhere in the known universe.

Also located in the station is Fezzan Orbital Control, the primary mandate of which is to oversee and manage all operations in Fezzan's orbital space. The coming and going of vessels, and coordinating with ground control over the operations and transit through the elevator, all that is part of orbital control's mandate.

At present, the afternoon shift for orbital control was ending. Operators and crew were fixing up, preparing to be replaced by those on night shift, comfortable in the daily routine they'd been used to over the years.

"Shift is done!" one operator enthusiastically said while gathering his paperwork.

"Quick to leave, aren't we?" another operator pointed out with a smirk. "Off to a date with your girlfriend?"

The first operator laughed and blushed. "We're actually going to look for a place to hold the ceremony at…" he said, and the other operator whistled.

"You lucky bastard!"

Laughter went up at that, both from the two who'd been conversing, as well as those around who'd overheard. The mirth and the routine were then abruptly broken as alarms began to blare across the control room.

"What's that?" one operator asked in alarm. As the operators focused on their consoles, blips clouded across their sensor screens, rapidly closing in on Fezzan.

"Unidentified objects detected!" one operator said with shaking voice. "They've warped out in the corridor, and are rapidly approaching Fezzan! This is…ships…ten…no, twenty…make that thirty thousand ships!"

"What is this?"

"I-it's the Imperial Fleet!"

"What?"

Gasps and shouts of alarm went up at that, and a heavy atmosphere descended across orbital control as they realized what was happening. But even then, they couldn't believe it.

"Sound the alarm!" the chief operator ordered. "Emergency alert!"

"Yes sir!"

The chief operator turned to another operator. "Send them a warning!" he ordered.

Alarms began to scream, not just in orbital control, but across the orbital station. "Approaching fleet, heave to and hold position." An operator broadcast to the approaching Imperial Fleet. "Approaching fleet, heave to and hold position. Approaching fleet…"

"What is the Imperial Fleet doing here?" another operator demanded near-hysterically as the broadcasts continued. "The Fezzan Corridor is supposed to be a demilitarized zone, isn't it?"

"Looks like they've tricked us." Another operator glumly said. "They're not just going for Iserlohn they're also going for Fezzan."

"Then…they're planning to place Fezzan under military occupation?"

"Why else would they be here in such numbers?"

"How can you be so calm?" another operator shouted. "This is an emergency!"

"It's no use!" the operator broadcasting to the Imperial Fleet said with barely-controlled panic. "They're not responding!"

"Contact the territorial lord's office!" the chief operator ordered. "Tell them the Empire's invading!"

"Yes sir!"

With a shout of frustration, another operator threw his headset against the console. No one bothered to reprimand him, everyone feeling the same way. "Why didn't we know about this?" the man demanded, clutching at his head.

"What the hell were those people in the high commissioner's office doing?" the chief operator agreed.

* * *

The Imperial Fleet quickly closed in on Fezzan, and seizing control of orbit, split into two. The bulk of the fleet remained in space, sending boarding craft to board the orbital station and seize control. A number of ships descended to the surface however, and landed around the orbital elevator's ground station.

Aboard his flagship, Reuenthal addressed his ground commanders. "Mittermeier and I have already divided the objectives for the landing operation." He said. "Leave the Office of the Territorial Lord, the Office of the Alliance Commissioner in Residence, and the Space Navigation Office to the Gale Wolf and his men. We will have the tasks of securing the Public Broadcast Center, the Central Traffic Office, the Fezzan Orbital Elevator Ground Station, the Goods Distribution Control Center, the Police Headquarters, the Ground Traffic Control Center, and the Fusion Power Complex. Also, detail two infantry battalions to secure our commissioner in residence's office as well."

"Yes sir!" the ground commanders saluted the high admiral.

Reuenthal nodded, and then narrowed his eyes. "And one more thing." He said. "The following order will be upheld in the strictest fashion. Any and all crimes against civilians, and looting and violence against women in particular, are forbidden. Violators _will_ be publicly executed by firing squad after a summary court martial. No clemency will be granted to any and all who would stain the honor of the Empire. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Then dismissed!"

Reuenthal nodded and looked on as his ground commanders departed, and then sitting on the _Tristan's_ command throne folded his hands before him. "Contact Mittermeier for me." He ordered.

"Yes sir."

Moments later and the connection was established, Mittermeier smiling at Reuenthal from a screen on the main display. "Things seem to be going well so far, aren't they?" Reuenthal remarked.

"So they are." Mittermeier agreed. "That said, we're still only just beginning."

"Yes," Reuenthal agreed. "Both occupying this planet, and finishing this war."

"Well, all we can do is do our best."

Reuenthal smiled. "So it is." He agreed.

* * *

Tanks and APCs rumbled through the roads leading from the spaceport to Fezzan's capital city, and thence down its streets. Terrified and apprehensive citizens watched through curtained windows or from the sidewalks as Imperial soldiers quickly set up in strategic locations across the city, with armored columns spearheading the way to the Empire's strategic objectives.

One by one they fell quickly and with no fuss, though in the case of the Office of the Territorial Lord, they found no one but the terrified and helpless custodial staff in the building. "We've succeeded in taking the territorial lord's office," the captain in charge of the detachment reported directly to Mittermeier over an encrypted line. "But there is no sign of the territorial lord himself. He may be at his private residence, and with your permission sir I'll take the bulk of my forces there momentarily."

Mittermeier had no objections, and leaving a token force to guard the office behind, the bulk of the detachment headed to the territorial lord's residence. Within fifteen minutes they had the mansion surrounded, and infantry quickly storming the empty building. Again however, there was no sign of the territorial lord, only the bloody corpse of a man and the signs of a struggle of some sort.

The military police were quickly called in for an investigation, and the high admiral appraised of the situation.

Elsewhere in the city, Imperial soldiers surrounded and stormed the Office of the Alliance Commissioner in Residence. They found it largely deserted, with only the dejected Commissioner Henslowe and a small number of his staff present to surrender to the Empire. The rest – including military attaché Captain Viola – had apparently fled once they'd received news of Imperial troops approaching the office.

"Intern the commissioner and his staff," Mittermeier ordered. "But treat them with due courtesy. They are civilians, and of high rank."

"What of the ones who'd escaped?" his adjutant asked.

"Place an alert out for them." Mittermeier responded. "If they're found, they are to be brought into custody as unharmed as possible."

"Yes sir."

"What of the incident at the territorial lord's residence?"

"Yes, sir." The adjutant said. "According the preliminary report from the military police, the dead man has been identified as one Rupert Kesselring, executive secretary to the territorial lord. Also, based on the state of the room in which the secretary was found, it seems he was ambushed, possibly with the knowledge and approval of the territorial lord."

"Why would that happen?"

"The military police have yet to determine the exact circumstances of the incident."

Mittermeier thought to himself for a few moments and then nodded. "Very well," he said. "Have them continue their investigation, but I want regular reports as it develops."

"Yes sir." The adjutant said. "On another note sir, we have secured the data from the computers in the Office of the Alliance Commissioner in Residence. Limited military intelligence, but according to our intelligence specialists, it was, and I quote, "…a treasure throve of political and economic data"."

"That will come in handy with regard to the postwar situation." Mittermeier said. "Though we still have to get there."

"Yes sir."

"In any case," Mittermeier continued. "Has Reuenthal secured all his objectives?"

"According to the report from His Excellency's adjutant, he has sir."

"Very good then." Mittermeier said with a nod.

* * *

On the day following the Imperial landings and the subsequent occupation, High Admirals Reuenthal and Mittermeier requisitioned Vltava Hotel as the provisional headquarters for the military occupation of Fezzan. It had already been decided in advance that the occupational policy would be largely hands off, though curfews and a military police presence would be imposed. And in the case of the latter, they were to cooperate with and support the local police with regard to the maintenance of law and order, and would only have precedent when it came to crimes committed by and against Imperial military personnel.

A price freeze was also imposed for the foreseeable future, in order to preempt economic disruptions caused by the occupation. Aside from that, local citizens and administrators were told to carry on as normal.

"Mittermeier will be holding the public executions at…Saint Therese's Square, won't he?" Reuenthal asked as he rode an armored car back to the Fezzan Orbital Elevator.

"Yes sir." His adjutant answered before checking his watch. "It should be taking place any minute now."

Reuenthal nodded. "Is it alright for Your Excellency not to attend?" the adjutant asked.

"The former troops to be executed for their crimes are from Mittermeier's fleet." Reuenthal said. "It's his responsibility, so there should no need for us to butt in."

"Yes sir. Please accept my apologies."

Reuenthal nodded. "In any case," he said. "Someone will have to greet Muller at his arrival. Since I've nothing to do in the meantime, I might as well."

"Yes sir, as you say."

* * *

At Saint Therese's Square, troops from the same company to which the condemned formerly belonged were assembled in parade formation, to view the example of the condemned being publicly executed for their crimes. Military police held back the crowds gathered anxiously on the sidewalks, though they made no efforts to stop civilians from taking pictures or reporters and journalists from reporting on the situation.

More military police tied and then blindfolded the condemned to a pair of posts placed before a large wall cushioned with sandbags. The firing squad awaited, visors on their helmets lowered to mask their faces. Behind them, Mittermeier stood, with his staff officers standing at attention a polite distance behind him.

"Admiral Mittermeier seems to be taking this rather personally, doesn't he?" Rear Admiral Draussen remarked. "Then again…did you know? About what happened before Prince Lohengramm took the admiral under his wing?"

"What?" Rear Admiral Bayerlein asked.

"He had a noble-born subordinate summarily tried and executed for robbing and killing a civilian." Draussen answered.

"But that's simply a matter of course under Imperial military regulations."

"But the admiral was born a commoner." Draussen pointed out. "He provoked the high nobles, who in addition to having him unjustly thrown into prison, tried to have him murdered."

"What?"

"That was when Admiral Reuenthal sought the help of Prince Lohengramm," Draussen continued. "Though he still went by the name of Musel at the time, but was already an admiral at the age of nineteen."

"Indeed," Bayerlein said, though the conversation came to a halt as the ranking MP approached Mittermeier and saluted. Mittermeier returned the salute and then curtly nodded. The MP turned and stood to attention.

"We will now carry out the executions of criminals guilty of rape and robbery of civilians." The MP declared before raising an arm. "Aim!"

In a smooth motion, the firing squad brought up their weapons from parade rest, and then took aim. "Fire!" the ranking MP ordered while bringing down his arm.

Particle beams lanced out and riddled the criminals' bodies, who cried out before limply sagging in their ropes. Murmurs erupted from the Fezzani, which quickly turned to cheers and applause, the citizens won over by the show of iron discipline and impartial justice by the Imperial Fleet.

The execution done however, Mittermeier turned to leave, followed by his staff. Behind him the military police moved to remove the bodies and the implements for the execution, while the company of the condemned were mustered back to their quarters.

* * *

Reuenthal and his adjutant arrived at the elevator complex even as Muller's flagship, the _Lubeck_ , appeared in the sky above along with its escorts. Reuenthal and his adjutant quickly crossed the complex, joining the honor guard even as the _Lubeck_ landed. About ten minutes later and the boarding ramp descended, Admiral Muller and his command staff descending to salute Reuenthal.

Reuenthal returned the salute, and within minutes were riding back towards the city. "Everything seems to be in order then." Muller remarked as they entered the city proper, having spent the ride back reporting to Reuenthal on their trip from the Imperial Capital.

"It is." Reuenthal said with a nod. "Though, there have been minor complications. For one thing, Mittermeier's had to execute some of his men for crimes against civilians, and we still haven't found Rubinsky either."

"…that may prove problematic in time." Muller quietly offered after a moment. Reuenthal nodded in agreement.

"Indeed," he said. "The situation being what it is, and given our soft-handed approach to the occupation, the Fezzani are taking things meekly. However, I'm sure there's resentment already bubbling away someplace we can't see, and it just might provide an opportunity for Rubinsky to pounce on."

"But…I would think Prince Lohengramm would already have included Fezzani resentment in his calculations."

"Yes, I think so too." Reuenthal agreed. "But the problem is Rubinsky's escape."

"Indeed."

* * *

On Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489, December 30, Prince Reinhard von Lohengramm arrived on Fezzan. As the flagship _Brunhild_ descended from space to land on the surface, tens of thousands of off-duty troops assembled in a great crowd around the flagship's landing site.

A heavy atmosphere of anticipation hung over the vast gathering, great and thunderous cheers rising into the air as Reinhard emerged from his flagship to step onto the boarding ramp, bathed with the golden light of the sunset. Looking around at the gathering with a stoic expression, the wind briefly picked up, rustling through Reinhard's golden air and white cape.

"HOCH LEBE UNSER KAISER!" the shouts went up. "HOCH LEBE UNSER KAISER! HOCH LEBE UNSER KAISER!"

High Admirals Mittermeier and Reuenthal, accompanied by Admiral Muller, stepped up the boarding ramp to meet with Reinhard and his command staff. "Can you hear, Your Excellency?" Mittermeier said, his own voice heavy with emotion. "They address you as Emperor. _Our_ Emperor!"

Reinhard smiled and nodded. "They're impatient." He said before stepping forward, and raising a hand, basked as the roars grew louder.

"HOCH LEBE UNSER KAISER! HOCH LEBE KAISER REINHARD!"

Reinhard could not and would not bask in such adulation for too long however, for there were still many things that needed to be done. Within minutes, a motorcade of APCs and armored cars were speeding back to the capital city, with Reinhard sitting with Hilda, Mittermeier, Reuenthal, and Muller in an armored car in the middle of the motorcade.

"I apologize for having to inform you," Mittermeier began. "However we failed to capture the Territorial Lord Rubinsky, nor do we have any concrete leads as to where he might have gone to ground. The military police are attempting to pick up the trail, but they have no results to show as of yet."

"Perfection is a fairly nonexistent thing." Reinhard said. "If the two of you couldn't do it, I'm certain no one else could have either. There's no need to apologize."

Mittermeier and Reuenthal bowed while Reinhard sat back. "The internment of the Alliance commissioner and the capture of the data in their offices will be useful to us in the future," Reinhard continued. "However, at present all we truly need is the navigational data from the Space Navigation Office. Even if all other objectives had not been met – and they have been – then this operation would have succeeded regardless."

Everyone present nodded, and then sat in silence for a few moments. "That said," Reinhard began after a few moments. "In the long-term, Rubinsky's being at large will prove troublesome. Fraulein Mariendorf, what do you think?"

"At present," Hilda began. "I would think Rubinsky has acknowledged defeat. Our swift and decisive actions leave him no choice but to do so. However, he no doubt plans to lie low and await an opportunity to take advantage of in the future, or to manufacture one if needed."

Hilda paused and nodded. "He may even attempt to curry favor with Your Excellency if he thought it were possible," she continued. "And if such would guarantee the greatest profit for himself."

"I see." Reinhard said with a nod. "He is that sort of person, isn't he? But…"

Reinhard trailed off with a troubled expression on his face, and Hilda tilted her head in concern. "Is something worrying you?" she asked.

"I can't put my finger on it," Reinhard said after a moment. "But I somehow get the feeling that there's something we're not seeing here. But what?"

Hilda and the fleet commanders traded glances, but no one could answer.

* * *

"This is the computer room." The Imperial Fleet officer in charge of security at the Space Navigation Office said, guiding Reinhard and his staff to the heart of the facility. "We've already secured it, so you may enter without concern."

"Very good."

"Yes sir."

Reinhard opened the door, and then paused to look back behind him. "All of you," he said. "Wait here."

At that, he entered the computer room, and closing the doors behind him proceeded alone. Walking along a raised catwalk, past massive, helium-cooled mainframes, Reinhard approached the main terminal.

" _It's all so close now._ " Reinhard thought as he operated the controls, and watching the main display as it displayed star maps of the Sagittarius Arm of the galaxy. " _Everything we've worked so hard to gain, everything we've fought so hard to achieve, it's all so close now._ "

And then even his thoughts fell silent, focused only as a direct path from Fezzan to the Baal Starzone was outlined on the map, key systems along the way highlighted. A few taps of the keyboard saw Baal Starzone zoomed in, followed by the star system of the same name, and then a blue and white world was shown on the screen.

Heinessen, capital planet of the Free Planets Alliance.

"Soon, Kircheis, soon." Reinhard whispered. "We will hold the universe in our hands. _Our_ universe…"

"Your Excellency," Bergengrun began as he approached Kircheis on his command throne. "We have received confirmation. Prince Lohengramm arrived on Fezzan earlier this afternoon, and will be assembling the rest of his forces on that planet in preparation for the next phase of the campaign."

"Very good, rear admiral." Kircheis said. "What of Geiersberg Fortress?"

"Yes sir." Bergengrun said. "High Admiral Kempff and the fortress are estimated to arrive at the Iserlohn Corridor on January 7th at the latest."

"Then signal the fleet." Kircheis ordered. "Reenter the Iserlohn Corridor, advance to Iserlohn Fortress, and take up a siege formation. Upon the arrival of Geiersberg Fortress, we will conquer Iserlohn and open the road to Heinessen."

"Yes sir."

Bergengrun bowed and left to carry out Kircheis' orders, while Kircheis reclined to look up at the stars displayed on the panoramic monitor surrounding the bridge. " _Soon, Lord Reinhard._ " Kircheis thought. " _Soon, everything you have lost, everything you have worked and fought so hard to gain, will be yours. So please be patient, Lord Reinhard, and fear not. For I will be there with you, as always._ "

Turning with a smile, Reinhard went back the way he came. Passing through the doors, he rejoined his staff, and leaving the Space Navigation Office, proceeded to the victory celebrations for the capture and occupation of Fezzan.

"HOCH LEBE KAISER REINHARD! HOCH LEBE KAISER REINHARD! HOCH LEBE KAISER REINHARD!" the shouts greeted the prince as he emerged from his car, standing in solemn acknowledgment of his followers' proclamation of his rule. So would end Universal Calendar 798, Imperial Calendar 489, the known universe trembling with anticipation and fear alike even as Universal Calendar 799, Imperial Calendar 490 began.

* * *

A/N

I changed the 'Sieg Mein Kaiser/Sieg Kaiser Reinhard' (which is grammatically incorrect) to the grammatically correct 'Hoch Lebe Unser Kaiser/Kaiser Reinhard'. Either way the meaning doesn't change: Long Live Our Emperor/Emperor Reinhard.

No, I did not miss a line break in the latter part of the chapter. Kircheis' POV is in the right place.


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 11

Surprisingly enough, panic did not erupt on Heinessen or other Alliance worlds with the news of Fezzan's fall to the Empire. An atmosphere of dread and apprehension hung over the citizens, their leaders and military officers, with many questions being asked and fingers pointed all over the place, but even then, anarchy did not erupt.

Among the most important questions being asked among the citizens and by the media of their government was confirmation of the news. The government had not actually released the report of Fezzans's fall, trying to wait for the right time to do so, but in that they failed, even with all the information control measures put in place by the Alliance government under the Trunicht Administration. This was thanks to the great amount of interstellar commerce between Fezzan and the Alliance, and it was the crews and officers and passengers of the ships which plied the shipping lanes who brought and spread the news to the Alliance, too many and too widespread for the Alliance government to even try and silence them.

Within hours, a crowd of journalists had gathered before the High Council Building, along with broadcasting trucks along the street. In addition to demanding an official confirmation of the news from Fezzan, they demanded to know how the Alliance government would respond to the crisis, and why they had failed to predict this development much less take countermeasures against it.

The High Council was already meeting in emergency session, and it was late at night when the High Council Chairman sent his press secretary to give an official response. It was far from satisfactory.

"I will now give the official statement of High Council Chairman Job Trunicht." The man said. "We acknowledge the responsibility we hold for this development."

"That's it?" one journalist responded in disbelief.

"That is all." The press secretary confirmed, and the journalists erupted in outrage.

"We don't care who's responsible for this!" they angrily shouted. "What we want to know is how the government plans to respond, and why it even came to this in the first place?"

"That is all." The press secretary repeated before turning and returning into the High Council Building, followed by the angry shouts and demands of the crowd, barely held back by the building's security personnel. Hours later, and another press release was held, with one William Odets defending Chairman Trunicht's vague and useless response, and indeed, blaming the citizens themselves for refusing to cooperate with the government.

Even the usually alarmist and reactionary media found themselves frustrated and outright disdainful as a result.

"Hey, did you hear?" a staff member told his superior at a broadcasting truck parked in front of the High Council Building. "Trunicht didn't even bother to attend the council meeting!"

"What?" the journalist responded with mixed anger and incredulity. "That no-good bastard…I always knew he was just another second-rate demagogue!"

The staff member nodded. "Not just that," he continued. "But they say Defense Secretary Negroponte resigned during the meeting."

"He did what?" the journalist echoed incredulously. "He resigned? Why?"

"Apparently it was to take responsibility for failing to prevent things from reaching this point."

"Responsibility?" the journalist echoed angrily. "Responsibility, he says? Don't joke around, how the hell is resigning in the face of a crisis taking responsibility for it? If he's going to say that, then he should be working his fat ass off to come up with a plan to counter the Empire. That fat bastard…he can wait for tomorrow's morning news!"

"In any case," the staff member said hesitantly. "While Trunicht wasn't at the meeting, once he heard of Negroponte's resignation, he appointed Walter Islands as the new defense secretary."

"Islands?" the journalist echoed with some confusion. A few moments' thought later and the name clicked. "But isn't he just some second-rate bureaucrat? What the hell is up with these personnel appointments?"

* * *

For all the media's disdain, however, and for all that the new defense secretary had been just a career bureaucrat known for being one of Trunicht's associates, he quickly took charge of things at the Department of Defense. Even before sunrise on the following day, he'd called another High Council meeting, and taking charge reached a conclusion before asking for a meeting with the Space Fleet Commander.

In his office at the Joint Operations Division, the Alliance Space Fleet Commander Admiral Alexander Bucock met with newly-appointed Secretary of Defense Walter Islands. Also present was the admiral's adjutant, Captain Pfeiffer, and the defense secretary's own personal assistant.

"The High Council has made its decision." Islands said, looking rather harried but otherwise composed and resolute. "There will be no surrender, but neither will we fight to the death. We can't force such an outcome on the helpless citizens, and condemn all our worlds to complete destruction. Instead, we will ask the military to establish a situation wherein we can negotiate a peace treaty with the Empire on good faith."

Bucock nodded. "Of course," he said. "We'll do what we can."

"The Alliance government will support whatever measures you find necessary to achieve that objective." Islands said, and Bucock nodded again.

"Then," he said. "I'll take you up on that now. Specifically, with regard to retired Admiral Yang Wen-li, it would be worth our while to recall him to service immediately. His tactical skill would be very useful on the battlefield, and the psychological effect of the Hero of El-Facil, to say nothing of the Miracle of Iserlohn, defending the Alliance once more, should not be underestimated."

"I'd already considered that matter." Islands said with a nod. "In fact, I already have my staff at the defense department working on preparing the paperwork. However, given the admiral is, well, an _admiral_ and thus of flag officer rank, we're going to need the chairman's approval for it."

That it would not be easy went without saying. It was an open secret that the chairman wasn't particularly fond of Yang, and Yang was well-known as a critic of the current administration. Nevertheless, it was something of a pleasant surprise for Bucock that for all that the defense secretary was supposed to be one of Trunicht's creatures, he was prepared to compromise on the usual faction-fighting and politicking so characteristic of the Alliance government over the past few decades, in order to ensure the nation's defense.

If only it'd happened sooner of course, and in a less dire situation.

"In any case," Islands continued. "I'll do what I can to expedite the matter. Please do what you can as well on that end here, in the military."

Bucock nodded, having since done so in fact, and then rose as the defense secretary got to his feet. "Though it's not how I expected to get this post," Islands said with a hint of shame. "Nor the circumstances I'd find myself facing, strangely enough, I find that here and now, I have a sense of purpose driving me for what needs to be done. Well then, I'll take my leave."

Nodding once at the admiral, Islands left, leaving Bucock and his adjutant alone. "Well now, we finally have ourselves a competent defense secretary." He said with a stroke of his chin. "And a very unexpected one at that, considering his background. That said, I suppose I shouldn't complain."

"Nevertheless," Pfeiffer began. "While it is to be thankful for, why could it not have happened any sooner? Indeed, given the situation, I sometimes find myself wishing the coup from two years ago had succeeded."

"And have a military dictatorship here compete with the Empire's absolute monarchy?" Bucock answered. "What's so better about that?"

"Yes, sir…my apologies, I spoke out of line."

"No matter what," Bucock said walking back to his desk. "We cannot allow the Alliance to turn into a dictatorship just to survive. I'd even dare to say that it'd be better for the Alliance to fall as a democracy, than to betray everything it was, is, and should have been to endure. Because if a nation can't protect both its citizens and its founding ideals, then that nation no longer has any reason to continue existing."

"Y-yes sir…"

Falling silent, Bucock gathered a number of papers before taking and putting on his beret. "Now then," he said. "Shall we get going?"

"Where to, sir?"

"To the war council, of course." Bucock said, already heading for the door. "I can't make any decisions on my own, I need the rest of the joint chiefs as well. That's how we, a democratic military, do things."

* * *

Over the following day, a flurry of meetings was held across the Joint Operations Division and the Admiralty, with orders being sent out and reports called for. The result of those would come in the evening, with the promotion of Rear Admirals Lionel Mouton and Ralph Carlsen to vice admiral, and their appointments as the commanders of the 14th and 15th Fleets respectively.

Of course, both fleets currently existed only on paper, though work was already underway to make them reality. Though it would take several days to finish mustering and organizing both fleets, they would hopefully be ready in time for the Alliance to mount a defense against the Imperial invasion. And even then, both fleets would be hodgepodge collections composed of what were once reserve squadrons, patrol squadrons, even decommissioned vessels yet to be scrapped and were instead reactivated and being refitted on the field, as well as newly-built ships yet to finish shaking down and hurriedly commissioned to be sent to the battlefield as needed.

Only time would tell if they would truly be effective.

It was also later that evening that the Space Fleet Commander called for a strategy meeting to discuss how the Alliance would meet the Imperial Fleet. Apart from Bucock and his adjutant, also present were Mouton and Carlsen, as well as Vice Admiral Paeta, the commander of the Alliance 1st Fleet. Also due to be present was the Alliance Forces Chief of Staff, Admiral Osman.

On that note, however…

"Sir!" Pfeiffer rushed into the conference room with an alarmed note in his voice. "Admiral Osman's suffered a heart attack."

"What?" the admirals present chorused.

"The admiral's been taken to a military hospital, but he's still unconscious and there's no word on when he'll recover."

"What a thing to happen…"

"And at a time like this."

"It can't be helped." Bucock said. "His deputy…Rear Admiral Chung Wu-Cheng will have to stand in for him. Send for him immediately!"

"Yes sir."

It took another twenty minutes for the rear admiral to arrive, nibbling on a sandwich. "My apologies," he said. "I was just sitting down to dinner. Thankfully, even if it is old bread, if you put it in a toaster to warm it up, it's still good to eat."

The other admirals stared at the man in disbelief, but he was ultimately unaffected. "In any case," Bucock began. "Though Admiral Chung has only just joined us, we have only one real choice. We don't have the numbers to engage the enemy as they pass through the Fezzan Corridor. Therefore, we must draw the Imperial Fleet into Alliance territory, stretching out their supply lines and then severing them, attack and inflict enough losses to force their retreat."

"On that note," Chung put in. "While I have no disagreement with our strategy, I would like to raise two points. The first is retired Admiral Yang Wen-li. His proven tactical skill would be very useful to us, and we can't ignore the psychological effects of him either sitting out the war, or joining us on the battlefield."

"I've already raised the matter with the defense secretary." Bucock said with a nod. "Apparently, he's already underway with the formalities of reactivating Admiral Yang, and so am I on our end. That said, we can only do so much, and must await the approval of the High Council Chairman on this matter."

An uneasy and unhappy air hung over the meeting at those words, but Chung was nodding. "Then let's hope for the best on that point." He said. "My second point however is Iserlohn Fortress. In particular, with the Imperial Fleet advancing through the Fezzan Corridor, it could be said that Iserlohn Fortress is useless to us. Therefore, I suggest ordering Admiral Rockwell to evacuate the fortress, and taking the station fleet, rendezvous with us on the field."

There was shock all around at that. "But," Paeta began. "Isn't Admiral Rockwell currently engaged in combat with the Imperial Fleet at Iserlohn? Evacuation will not be easy!"

"That may be so." Chung said with a nod. "But Admiral Rockwell will just have to do it. The twenty thousand ships in the station fleet would be of more use to us when we confront the enemy, as opposed to keeping them tied down at Iserlohn. Remember that we're in a situation wherein we have to setup a situation for the Alliance to negotiate a satisfactory peace treaty. We can't have a situation wherein the Alliance is destroyed, but Iserlohn survives. And in any case, it's pretty much guaranteed that the Empire will demand the return of Iserlohn as part of any peace treaty. So let's not waste any more lives trying to hold on to something we ultimately can't keep."

A thoughtful air now hung over the meeting. Bucock nodded slowly. "Admiral Chung makes a good point." He said. "While it is rather galling, it does seem to be the correct choice. We're already at a huge disadvantage numbers-wise, and we need to do what we can to reduce that disadvantage as much as possible. Keeping our forces dispersed would go against that…very well, we'll order Rockwell to abandon the fortress, and to take his station fleet to rendezvous with us on the field."

There were nods all around, though Paeta had an uncomfortable expression on his face. "The only question now," he began. "Is will Admiral Rockwell be able to successfully retreat under fire."

No one could, or dared answer.

* * *

The arrival of the orders to abandon the fortress was not met with confidence at Iserlohn Fortress.

"Are they serious about this?" Rear Admiral Huu asked incredulously.

"Commander," Rear Admiral Alarcon said while getting to his feet. "Please set our motherland's course correct. We're soldiers. We're not afraid to die to perform our duty to the country and its citizens. But asking us to do this…to abandon this fortress which safeguards the Alliance…it's unthinkable!"

"Calm down." Admiral Rockwell said. "I'm not too happy about these orders either, but…"

Rear Admiral Murai glumly nodded in agreement as the fortress commander trailed off unhappily. "We can't disobey orders from Heinessen." He said.

"But…this is…"

"Rear Admiral Alarcon," Rear Admiral Cazerne began. "I'm sure HQ knew what they were doing when they gave these orders. In particular, the orders to rendezvous with the Combined Fleet under Admiral Bucock once we finish offloading the civilians to a safe planet, and the government's stated objective of obtaining a position to negotiate a fair peace treaty, is rather telling."

"What do you mean?" Alarcon asked.

"The way I see it," Cazerne said. "HQ is likely going for a Fabian strategy."

There was a murmur of comprehension across the table. "I see." Rockwell said while nodding and crossing his arms over his chest. "Instead of dispersing our forces and trying to cover all fronts without actually having the ability to do so, HQ will concentrate all our forces to be able to decisively fight and win where it matters. That way, even if the Imperial Fleet has broken through both Iserlohn and Fezzan, as long as they can't take Heinessen, they can't really win."

"And neither can we really lose." Cazerne said. "And then factoring in the distance between the Empire and the Alliance, the longer the campaign takes, then the more the Empire's advantage lessens, due to their greatly-extended lines of supply and communications."

"At which point they'd either have to retreat, or engage our forces in battle." Huu observed.

"Or enter into negotiations with the government." Rockwell said with a nod. "It's just what you'd expect of Old Man Bucock."

"But," Alarcon said. "To give up on Iserlohn Fortress…no, I understand the necessity based on HQ's apparent strategy, but doing so will have an effect on morale, both military and civilian. In particular, won't it be spread around that we'd been chased out of Iserlohn?"

"That's probably true." Rear Admiral Cazerne said. "But it's a risk we're going to have to take. This isn't just about Iserlohn Fortress, after all. The fate of the entire Alliance is at stake."

There were nods all around, with even Alarcon being won over at last. "About that," Intelligence Specialist Commander Bagdash began. "If we're going to abandon the fortress to the enemy, it doesn't necessarily mean we have to leave it intact, do we?"

Eyes turned to the commander. "What do you mean by that, Commander Bagdash?" Rockwell asked.

Bagdash's smile turned vicious.

* * *

Fleet Admiral Kircheis sat on the _Barbarossa's_ command throne, hands folded in his lap as he stared at the silvery orb of Iserlohn Fortress hanging in space. It had been four days since he had returned to once again lay siege to the fortress, and in that time, the fleets under his command had stayed just outside of the fortress' effective range, conducting fleet exercises both to pass the time and to constantly remind the besieged enemy of their presence.

Now though, that was in the past. Geiersberg Fortress would be arriving within a matter of minutes, and the Imperial Fleet had positioned themselves to minimize the danger of getting caught in the wake of Geiersberg's warp jump.

"Any time now." Rear Admiral Bergengrun said, glancing at his wristwatch. Kircheis nodded, and narrowed his eyes.

The bridge bustled and buzzed with soft, business-like conversation, and then alarms began to sound as proximity and hyperspace sensors warned of a near-unprecedented, large-scale warp jump in progress. Kircheis allowed himself a smile at the thought of how the Alliance defenders would react to the appearance of the 45-kilometer in diameter fortress.

 _Barbarossa_ shuddered as the wake of Geiersberg's warp jump rippled outwards, but the fleet formation had been positioned specifically to ride out such a wake, and now reports were coming in. "No abnormalities in space-time detected in the surrounding space." One report said.

"All fleets report situation normal." Another report said.

"Formation drift is within expected parameters, ships moving back into position."

"No response from Iserlohn Fortress."

"Incoming transmission from Geiersberg Fortress. It's High Admiral Kempff."

Kircheis smiled and nodded. "Very good," he said while getting to his feet. "Patch it through."

"Yes sir."

Moments later and a screen appeared on the main display, showing High Admiral Kempff at Geiersberg's command center. The man saluted, and Kircheis and his staff returned the salute.

"Welcome to the field, High Admiral Kempff." Kircheis greeted the older man. "I'm sure your arrival made quite the impression on the enemy as well, which will be all the better for our prospects on this front, admiral."

"I am honored by your praise, Your Excellency." Kempff said before smiling. "And we'll make an even bigger impression once we join the battle properly."

"Indeed," Kircheis said with a nod. "Though it may not be as you expect."

Kempff looked curious, while Kircheis gestured at Bergengrun. "Signal Wahlen and Lutz," he said. "Have them join the conversation, but we'll use line of sight communications in addition to standard protections to prevent the enemy from potentially tapping in."

"Yes, sir."

Kircheis nodded, and then turned back to Kempff. "You as well, admiral." He said.

"Very good, sir." Kempff said with another salute.

* * *

About ten minutes later, and the four ranking flag officers present on the Iserlohn Front resumed their conversation. Kircheis' orders had the other three gaping.

"Evacuate the fortress?" Kempff asked incredulously. "And then ram it into Iserlohn?"

Kircheis nodded. "Our orders are to break though the Iserlohn Corridor by any means necessary." He said. "There is no mention of recapturing Iserlohn Fortress in them. That matter of semantics aside, ramming Geiersberg into Iserlohn is the quickest, and most effective way of achieving our objectives. We can always repair one or the other fortress once the campaign is finished, or even build a new one, when we can afford such luxuries once more. Right now however, we must accomplish our objectives as quickly as possible, or risk compromising our double-envelopment strategy via the Fezzan and Iserlohn Corridors."

Wahlen and Lutz nodded slowly in understanding, though Kempff still looked argumentative. Nevertheless, the man could see the point, and was much too old-fashioned to actually disobey orders.

"Understood, fleet admiral." He finally said. "Nevertheless, it will take time to evacuate the fortress. Not just the station fleet and personnel, but also removing supplies and other moveable assets, will take at least twenty-four hours. Optimally, forty-eight hours."

Kircheis nodded. "I am aware of that, admiral." He said. "I will give you thirty-six hours. In the meantime, Lutz, Wahlen, and myself will organize our fleets in order to prevent the enemy from countering us from ramming Geiersberg."

"Counter?"

Kircheis nodded. "If they concentrate their fire on one of Geiersberg Fortress' engines while it is active," he said. "It is possible for them to render the fortress uncontrollable, or worse, cause the resulting unbalanced inertial forces to tear the fortress apart."

"I see." Kempff said with a nod. "There is that danger. On that note, sir, if we're going to ram Geiersberg into Iserlohn, it will need a pilot crew to guide it to the terminal point at least. On that note, I ask for the honor of leading that crew, as the fortress commander."

Kircheis sternly met Kempff's eyes over the screen. They stared at each other for several long moments, and then Kircheis smiled and nodded. "Very well, admiral." He said. "I will grant you that honor, on the condition that you evacuate as soon as possible once the fortress reaches the terminal point. It would not be to our benefit to lose an admiral of your ability and experience, and for your family to be bereft of your presence."

Kempff saluted at once. "Understood, sir." He said. "Rest assured, I will not regard my life and my duty beyond this battle cheaply."

Kircheis nodded, and the meeting was brought to an end.

* * *

As it was, the evacuation of Geiersberg Fortress was completed in approximately thirty-two hours. Flanked by the Wahlen and Lutz Fleets, and the Kircheis Fleet divided above and below, ready to intercept any attempt by the defenders to prevent a collision, Geiersberg Fortress fired up its sub-light engines, and building up speed steadily approached Iserlohn Fortress. Indeed, the few times the Alliance defenders attempted to raise the floating gun turrets, and once even the Thor's Hammer, the Imperial Fleet responded with murderous, long-range volleys that left the floating gun turrets in ruins, and risked disabling the Thor's Hammer's emitter array.

On the _Barbarossa's_ command deck, Kircheis stood with a grim expression on his face. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of Alliance military personnel aboard, Iserlohn would also have millions of Alliance civilians aboard. And while some may survive in the event of Iserlohn avoiding destruction (though there was no avoiding critical damage in the event of a collision), the casualties _would_ be enormous.

" _In such changing times, bloodshed is inevitable I suppose._ " Kircheis remembered the words he himself said to Reinhard two years ago, in the wake of the Lippstadt War, on the subject of the Westerland Massacre. And here and now, he found himself facing the same choice Reinhard had over the matter at the time. " _For a quick and long overdue end to this war, and to ensure peace and stability by unifying the known universe…Odin forgive me…_ "

Kircheis blinked as alarms rang out across the bridge. "What's happened?" Rear Admiral Bergengrun demanded.

"We've detected a fleet launch from Iserlohn Fortress," the sensor officer reported. "But it's on the other side of the fortress from our position."

Kircheis narrowed his eyes as a possibility occurred to him. "Can you identify the enemy fleet's composition?" he asked.

"Please wait a moment." The man said before returning to his station. Several long moments later, and he turned back.

"I'm reading approximately twenty thousand warships, and slightly more than half that in transport ships." He said. "Advanced jamming is interfering with detailed scans, but they do indicate multiple life signs aboard far in excess of the maximum expected crew."

Bergengrun turned to Kircheis. "Your Excellency…" he said, and Kircheis nodded.

"This is an unexpected, but very welcome development." He said. "The Alliance defenders, realizing they have no way to prevent a collision, have decided to cut their losses and evacuate the fortress.'

"But," Bergengrun said. "While that's good for us, it also means the station fleet will be free to engage our forces elsewhere."

"That is certainly true." Kircheis said. "However, we can only do so much at a time. The Alliance Station Fleet will have to be dealt with along with the rest of the Alliance Forces, at a later date within the campaign."

"As you say, Your Excellency."

Kircheis nodded. "Signal Kempff." He said. "Have Geiersberg cease advancing, and withdraw to a safe distance. Also, order Wahlen and his fleet to follow the retreating Alliance Forces, but to avoid engagement and maintain his distance. He is to follow as far as the Alliance exit of the corridor, and no further."

"Yes sir."

"Signal Bulow as well. Have him dispatch boarding craft, and to secure the fortress. Make certain explosives specialists are among the landing teams. It would not do to enter the fortress, and find firsthand the Alliance to have rigged the fortress to kill us all the moment we do so."

"Yes sir, right away!"

Kircheis nodded, and sitting down on the command throne, waited as Bergengrun gave his orders, and the men under his command made to obey.

* * *

"…made it just in time." The commander in charge of the explosives specialists said to Kircheis two and a half hours later, once the fortress had been swept and any and all booby traps left behind found and disarmed. "If we'd been later by say…twenty minutes, any of the more cleverly-hidden ones could have taken us all unpleasantly by surprise."

Kircheis nodded. "Well done, commander." He said. "Do you have anything else to report?"

"No, sir. Well actually…the details are in the report, but it looks as though the Alliance left this place in a hurry. Can't really blame them, Geiersberg likely scared the wits out of them, but a lot of materials and supplies or even equipment have been left behind. We'll have to move quickly if we're to avoid looting incidents from developing and escalating."

"That is certainly true." Kircheis said before turning to Bergengrun. "Rear admiral, please make arrangements for such immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Kircheis paused, his eyes narrowed in thought. " _Could that be all the traps the Alliance defenders have left behind?_ " he thought to himself. " _Yang Wen-li might not have been in command, but as far as I know, plenty of his men were left among the fortress' garrison and command staff. If so…_ "

"Rear admiral," Kircheis began.

"Yes sir?"

"The possibility exists that the traps we found and disarmed were simply a diversion." He said. "A very well-made diversion, that it was not immediately obvious, and indeed this may just be conjecture. Nevertheless, if it is not, the consequences could be severe."

"What should we do, Your Excellency?"

"There's more than one way to render the fortress useless if not harmful to us, beyond simply wrecking equipment or outright destroying it." Kircheis said. "Have our technicians and engineers sweep any and all of the fortress' systems, no matter how minor, for any and all signs of tampering."

"Yes sir!"

Kircheis nodded, and as Bergengrun hurried, continued on his way along with his adjutant to the fortress' command center. Arriving several minutes later, Kircheis stood on the command deck, looking down at the empty consoles and stations below. "Lieutenant?" Kircheis asked, and his adjutant stood to attention.

"Sir?"

"Send a transmission to Imperial Capital Odin, and thence to Prince Lohengramm." He said. "Report that we have succeeded in our given mission: Iserlohn Fortress, and the Iserlohn Corridor, are both ours."

"Yes sir!"

January 07, Universal Calendar 799, Imperial Calendar 490, Iserlohn Fortress was again in Imperial hands. It has been over two years since the Empire last held the fortress.

* * *

A/N

Fabian strategy refers to a strategy of not engaging enemy forces except when and only necessary, and in a decisive fashion. It is named after the Roman Dictator Fabius Maximus, who commanded Rome's army during the Second Punic War, when he refused to give Hannibal and the Carthaginian Army battle, counting on their inability to take Rome and thus win the war, while conserving Rome's strength until the right opportunity arose to decisively defeat the Carthaginians.

I played with the dialogue a bit, but as you can see, while never actually referred to in the series, it's basically the strategy Yang used against Reinhard in canon, leading to the Battle of Vermillion. This strategy however, has one weakness. Hannibal lacked the ability to take Rome…but Reinhard has very much the ability to take Heinessen.

Yang counted on Reinhard's pride preventing him from taking Heinessen until Yang was defeated, nearly resulting in Reinhard's death at Vermillion, averted only thanks to Hilda, Mittermeier, and Reuenthal's actions. The question now is…will the same happen here? Or will something else happen?


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 12

"The enemy fleet has broken off pursuit, and is holding position at the exit of the Iserlohn Corridor."

Sighs of relief went up across the command deck of Rockwell's flagship, _Alexandria_. Given they were escorting with them over ten thousand ships carrying millions of civilians aboard, a battle would have been a nightmarish prospect. Thankfully, the Imperial Fleet either realized that fact, or even if they did not, apparently only wanted to make sure the Alliance Forces weren't going to double back. Having made sure of the fact, they were holding their position, no doubt to regroup before advancing further into Alliance territory.

"That was close." Murai said.

"No kidding." Cazerne said while rubbing his eyes. "Who'd have expected they'd attach warp engines to a fortress nearly as big as Iserlohn, and then bring it all the way with them, only to try and ram it against Iserlohn?"

"On that note," Rockwell said, and turning to the lower-ranking officer. "You once again have my thanks for being able to finish the evacuation much quicker than originally asked for. I'll be sure to put you in for commendations when we return to Heinessen."

"With all due respect sir," Cazerne said. "I don't really see myself as worthy of commendation. To complete the evacuation so quickly…we had to leave plenty of supplies and equipment behind. And not just us: many civilians have had to leave their belongings behind too, for which they'll have to be compensated."

"That may be so," Rockwell said with a nod. "But, wouldn't you agree that civilian lives, and their freedom, be worth the materials left behind?"

"…I suppose so." Cazerne said, and again rubbing his eyes. "My apologies sir…it seems exhaustion is taking its toll."

"So it seems." Rockwell said with another nod. "Why don't you have some sleep in a tank bed, rear admiral? You've been working hard all this time, so I would think you deserve some well-deserved rest. In any case, it'll take much more than an hour before we reach Shampool, much less rendezvousing with the Combined Fleet."

"But…"

Rockwell raised a hand. "That's an order, Rear Admiral Cazerne." He said with a small smile. "As you yourself said, exhaustion is taking its toll on you. You'd be much more useful to us after clearing your head. So get some rest, have something to eat after that, and check in with your family. Once that's done, you can get back to work, and much more effectively than otherwise."

Cazerne sighed, but nodded, and saluted before leaving. Once he left though, Rockwell sighed himself. "We could all use some rest and something to eat." He muttered, before turning to his adjutant. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir?"

"Once we're at a safe distance from the corridor and we can downgrade our alert level by one," Rockwell ordered. "Arrange for our men to have some time in the tank beds and to get some food in shifts."

"Yes sir."

The lieutenant saluted before leaving, leaving Rockwell and Murai alone. "You have something to say, rear admiral?" Rockwell asked.

"Yes sir." Murai said with a nod. "It's about something Rear Admiral Cazerne mentioned just now."

"Oh?"

"As he said, we had to leave plenty of supplies and equipment behind to evacuate Iserlohn in a hurry." Murai said. "However, that means that our fleet is in no condition for sustained battle, and after dropping off the civilians at Shampool, must pass by a supply depot to stock up on fuel, food, munitions, and replaceable parts, among other necessities, before we can rendezvous with the Combined Fleet."

"That much is true." Rockwell said with a nod, before making a grimace. "Unfortunately, that's going to delay the rendezvous."

"I'm afraid it can't be helped, sir." Murai said. "Even if we did rendezvous as expected, we won't do much good if we arrive at a haggard state."

"That much is also true." Rockwell said with a sigh, and then crossed his arms over his chest. "Those damned Imperials…not one, but two fortresses, and one of them mobile…"

"Sir?"

"The Imperial Fleet broke off their ramming attack once it was clear we'd evacuated the fortress," Rockwell said. "Meaning in addition to that mobile fortress of theirs, they also have Iserlohn."

"Well, yes, but didn't we intend to surrender the fortress in any case?"

"We did." Rockwell admitted. "Now, here's to hoping the Imperials didn't notice the real traps we left behind."

"We hid them as best we could," Bagdash said. "And they're hardly the easiest to notice, being little more than backdoors and system traps in Iserlohn's gunnery computers and communications systems. Even if they expect and look for some sort of subtle sabotage, I doubt they'd think it'd be the kind we left behind."

"I hope you're right, commander." Rockwell said. "The day might come when the Alliance attempts to recapture Iserlohn. If so, then we might just have to use those traps of yours, but if they were compromised and we were counting on them when the time comes…"

The admiral trailed off, but the other officers all knew what he was going to say. "Nothing is ever completely foolproof," Bagdash said after a moment. "All I can say is that we have a more than reasonable chance of success with this deception."

"…true, I suppose that really is all that can be said." Rockwell said with a slow nod.

* * *

Even as Rockwell and the ships under his command were speeding away from the Iserlohn Corridor and into the fragile sanctuary of Alliance territory, the Imperial Fleet was passing through the Fezzan Corridor in sequence, and gathering inside Alliance territory itself, in preparation for further advances. On January 30, the Imperial Fleet had fully assembled its designated frontline forces in the Holbit Star System, and the fleet commanders gathered aboard the flagship _Brunhild_ to discuss the next stage of the operation.

Seated on the command throne, Reinhard regarded the admirals assembled before the command deck. Stepping out of line, Mittermeier gave a deferent bow to Reinhard, before turning to face the other admirals.

"It is reasonable to assume the Holbit Star System to be the outer limit the Alliance Forces will set for us to advance into unchallenged." Mittermeier said. "While a Fabian strategy would suit their purposes best, given the nature of their government, the Alliance Forces must give battle soon, or risk losing public support. Therefore, it is also reasonable to conclude that even as we speak, the Alliance Forces are assembling and preparing to challenge us in battle."

Mittermeier paused, enough for a series of star systems to be highlighted on the star map shown on the main display. One star system in particular was singled out. "Based on information from Fezzan," Mittermeier continued. "There are no inhabited worlds along the main route from Fezzan to Heinessen as far as Rantemario. That will be the inner limit for the Alliance Forces, and where we will likely engage the enemy. And for ourselves, in order to minimize the risk of civilian casualties and collateral damage, we too should hope to engage the enemy there than elsewhere further."

Mittermeier paused to turn and face Reinhard. "Such is my assessment of the battlefield within this phase of the campaign." He said, and with a nod Reinhard rose to his feet.

"I agree with your assessment." He said. "The Alliance has not challenged our advance so far, but they must soon, otherwise their current administration will find its hold on their government crumbling from a public outcry. If so, then we must answer the enemy's valor with due courtesy. And we shall do so with the double-headed snake formation."

There was a brief murmur among the admirals at that. "Mittermeier will command the first formation, as the first head of the snake." Reinhard continued. "The second formation will be under Admiral Muller. I will personally command the third formation."

"Then," Muller interrupted. "You yourself will be fighting on the front lines?"

"Correct," Reinhard answered, taking Muller's interruption with good grace. "Is there a problem?"

"That's too dangerous!" Muller said with evident concern. "The Alliance Forces are at their weakest, but that only means they may end up fighting back like a cornered animal. Please, allow us to fight on the battlefield, while Your Excellency remains in safety to await our bringing victory before you."

"Your concern and loyalty are commendable, Muller." Reinhard said with an indulgent smile. "But I came here to win. To win we must fight. And since we must fight, I have no intention of remaining where it is safe. Those who follow me on the battlefield do so knowing I stand with them on the frontlines, the difference between myself and the corrupt and decadent nobles who came before me."

With a bow, Muller subsided, and after a moment Reinhard continued. "The fourth formation shall be under Admiral Steinmetz." He said. "The fifth formation, will be under Admiral Rennenkampf. And the sixth formation, the second head of the snake, will be under High Admiral Reuenthal."

Pausing, Reinhard smiled viciously. "As you can see," he continued. "We shall have an even number of formations within our greater formation. There is no real 'middle' for the enemy to focus on, merely a choice of poisons to risk should they attempt to break through our lines. Furthermore, with regard to the Black Lancers and the Fahrenheit Fleet, they will remain as tactical reserves, with Admirals Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit free to commit to the battle as they see appropriate. Cooperation between all formations will be key to victory. To secure communication lines, we will maintain level three protection, and in the event of intense communications interference, messenger shuttles will be prepared as well. Any questions?"

There were none, and Reinhard nodded. "If there are no questions," he said. "Then dismissed."

The admirals stood to attention and saluted, and returning their salutes, Reinhard departed along with his staff. "As I suspected," Mittermeier said. "He thinks like a soldier first and foremost."

"Born rulers would think only of winning, not the how." Reuenthal agreed. "But for one such as him, there can only be meaning in victory by earning it himself, alongside those who fight with, for, and beneath him."

"Indeed." Mittermeier agreed, and Muller likewise nodded his agreement.

Even as the Imperial Fleet gathered its forces and prepared for battle in the Holbit Star System, the Alliance Combined Fleet was assembled in deep space within the Baal Starzone. Between the 1st, 5th, 14th, and 15th Fleets, the Combined Fleet had an estimated strength of forty thousand ships, under the overall command of the newly-promoted Fleet Admiral Alexander Bucock, the Alliance Space Fleet Commander. In addition to Bucock, Chung Wu-Cheng had been confirmed as the Alliance Forces Chief of Staff, promoted to vice admiral, and simultaneously served as the Combined Fleet's chief of staff for the campaign.

"According to the latest reconnaissance report," Chung said to the gathered fleet commanders in the 5th Fleet's flagship _Rio Grande_ 's conference room. "The Imperial Fleet has assembled within the Holbit Star System."

"To advance," Bucock said while crossing his arms over his chest. "They'll proceed through the Rantemario, Jamseed, and Kerim Starzones to Baal, and thence to Heinessen. There are plenty of inhabited planets in Jamseed and Kerim, to say nothing of Baal. To minimize the danger, we'll have to stand our ground at Rantemario."

"And the timing's just right too." Chung said, and Bucock nodded in agreement. Chung then turned to the other admirals around the table. "Defeatism's riding high, as we've gathered virtually every ship we have to assemble this fleet. A lot of people think we're only going to protect Heinessen, and leave the rest to the Empire."

"That's ridiculous!" Paeta said, but Bucock cut in before he could continue.

"Making matters worse is the government granting planetary governments authority to surrender should they be attacked, to avoid causing civilian casualties and collateral damage with meaningless resistance." Bucock said. "It's understandable, but it brings up the possibility of multiple systems seceding and declaring neutrality. However, they'll be neutral on paper only, and practically be under Imperial rule. To preempt that outcome, we need to fight and win soon."

"But," Vice Admiral Carlsen of the 15th Fleet began. "There's too much of a difference between their numbers and ours."

"If only the Battle of Amritsar hadn't happened." Bucock said with a sigh.

"On another note," Vice Admiral Mouton of the 14th Fleet began. "What of the Iserlohn Station Fleet? If we can add their twenty thousand ships to our forces, we'll have an easier time of things with sixty thousand ships."

"Sixty thousand against one hundred thousand would have better odds compared to forty thousand against one hundred thousand." Chung conceded. "That said, while Admiral Rockwell abandoned Iserlohn on January 7, he had to do so in a hurry, and had to drop off the civilian evacuees on Shampool before needing to resupply. Roughly extrapolating…they should arrive at Rantemario by February 15."

"Fifteen days…" Bucock mused before shaking his head. "We can't wait that long."

"At the very least," Chung said. "We need to keep the fleet from being destroyed. If we're unable to win or retreat in good order from Rantemario on our own, then we need to hold out long enough for Rockwell to arrive. Once he does, we can force the enemy to briefly withdraw to regroup or at least throw their lines into confusion by the need to fight two fleets long enough for us to retreat."

"Retreat?" Paeta echoed.

"Yes." Chung nodded. "Without winning we can't negotiate a satisfactory peace treaty, but if the fleet is destroyed, then there won't be any negotiations at all. Even if all we have left is a fleet in being, then at least we might gain some say in what comes after."

"It's not what the government wants," Bucock grimly said. "Or what we need, but we have to prepare for the worst, even as we hope for the best."

A dark air fell on the meeting at that. "That much is true." Mouton said with sigh. "Even more so now that Iserlohn has fallen. More Imperial ships will be passing through…no, not just ships, a mobile fortress of all things."

"If they get to Rantemario before we can disengage or win," Carlsen said. "Then it's over."

"Then we need to achieve either before they can arrive, don't we?" Chung said.

"In the worst-case scenario," Mouton said. "While we're tied down at Rantemario, the rest of their forces might attack Heinessen itself. And the planet's completely undefended. If that happens…"

"It'll be over." Bucock said. "But, we can only do so much within our limitations, and if we focus too much on the worst-case scenario or on what we can't do anything about, then we won't be able to achieve anything at all. Compared to that, I say we should do what we can, and as best we can, and actually have something to show for it all as opposed to nothing at all."

Unhappy but resolute nods of agreement greeted the fleet admiral's words.

* * *

It was on February 8, Universal Calendar 799, Imperial Calendar 490 that the Battle of Rantemario began. Detecting the Imperial Fleet passing through the star system, the Alliance Combined Fleet immediately went to action stations and assumed its formation.

"Based on what we can see of the Imperial Fleet," Lieutenant-Commander Soun Soulzzcuaritter, Bucock's new adjutant after Pfeiffer's death from a sudden heart attack shortly before the fleet launched from Heinessen, said. "Could it be a double-headed snake formation?"

"Possibly," Bucock conceded. "No, it's probably just that."

"If so," Soun continued. "Then attacking them head on will only play into the Empire's hands. I would think it too dangerous, sir."

"As you say," Bucock conceded again. "But we have no choice. Our only chance is to break through the center of their formation, collapse it, and then destroy them fleet by fleet."

"Yes sir." Soun said with a nod. "Not for naught is Prince Lohengramm seen as a genius, it seems. He's always one step ahead us, strategically stacking the deck and all but winning the battle even before it begins."

"And that genius of his is worthy of our respect." Bucock added. "Did you know, lieutenant-commander?"

"No, sir."

"Yang Wen-li once said," Bucock continued. "That if he had been born in the Empire, he would gladly rally to Prince Lohengramm's banner."

Soun looked shocked. "Isn't it rather inappropriate for him to say such a thing?" he asked.

"Why?" Bucock asked. "If I was born in the Empire, I'd do the same. That said, I'm old and unskilled, so I doubt Prince Lohengramm would have much use for me."

Soun conceded in silence, and Bucock gave the order. The Combined Fleet advanced, heading for the center of the Imperial Fleet's formation. "They have an even number of formations within the snake, it looks like." Chung said. "They have no real 'middle' for us to focus on."

"It seems that way, doesn't it?" Bucock said, even as a report came from below.

"5.25 light-seconds until we enter effective firing range." It said.

"What should we do, admiral?" Soun asked. "Which formation should we attack?"

"In this scenario," Bucock thoughtfully began. "We should remove the strongest pieces from the board first, to reduce the danger we'll face if things get prolonged, as they probably will be. Normally that wouldn't apply here…and yet it looks as though it just might. The enemy's third formation is significantly bigger than the other formations."

"If so," Chung said. "Then that just might be the formation under Prince Lohengramm's direct command. I would say it's too dangerous to focus on, as we risk getting bogged down and left vulnerable to being surrounded by the rest of the Imperial Fleet, but it could pay big as well. If we can take Prince Lohengramm out, cut off the head of the snake so to speak…"

"Then the disruption in the Imperial chain of command could be worth as much as another fleet to us." Bucock said with a nod. "But, as you yourself said, it's a very risky proposition."

"Yes sir."

"Hmm…" Bucock mused for a few moments. "Perhaps it might be a better idea to feint an attack, and drawing the enemy in, surround and destroy the left or right heads of the snake…"

"Our forces have begun to fire!" the alarmed shout came from below.

"What?" Bucock said in surprise.

"No order to fire was given!" Soun shouted.

For a few moments, Bucock and his staff officers just watched as blue neutron beams lanced through space towards the third Imperial formation. "Sir…" Chung said urgently, and Bucock nodded.

"This is what happens when all you have is a force put together in a hurry." He said softly. "It can't be helped. We'll have to go with the original plan. Targeting the enemy fleet's third formation, we'll break through, disrupt the enemy's main formation, and destroy them fleet by fleet. And if it really is under Prince Lohengramm's direct command, take him down, and the resulting chaos would be a boon for us all!"

* * *

At 1345 hours on February 8 the battle began in earnest, the Alliance Combined Fleet engaging the cluster of fleets under the direct command of Imperial Fleet Admiral Prince Reinhard von Lohengramm. "Concentrate on long-range bombardment." Reinhard ordered from his command throne. "There is no need to be overly-aggressive at this point, for now let us simply attempt to ascertain the enemy's intentions."

"The Alliance may be attempting to draw us in as part of a bigger plan," Oberstein remarked. "But they could also simply be attempting to break through, and in so doing disrupt our main formation."

"As you say," Reinhard said before narrowing his eyes. "Prepare to withdraw in order, on my command. Maintain relative distance while continuing to engage, but only on my order."

The battle continued to progress as it had for a full hour, and then the Alliance suddenly seemed to explode with ferocity. "The enemy is concentrating their fire on a single point." The report came in. "They're charging in!"

"As expected," Reinhard said. "Fall back now. Maintain the distance between our fleets, and do not allow the enemy to come close."

"The enemy's advance guard is unusually aggressive." Oberstein observed. "There could be an opportunity there."

Reinhard nodded. "Yes," he said. "I think so too. But, the aggressiveness of the enemy isn't what I expected of the Alliance Space Fleet Commander. Unless…I see. The Alliance Forces being reduced to the bone, must have been forced to put a fleet together in a hurry. If so, then inexperienced members of the fleet must have slipped their leash, and their commander is using that to his advantage…or so he thinks."

"The enemy commander should realize the danger he's allowing his men to fall into soon." Oberstein said.

"It will be too late, by then." Reinhard said.

"As you say."

The ferocious battle continued for another twenty minutes, and then the Alliance's fury seemed to peter out, their ships breaking off from firing and beginning to slow down and reverse course, to reform their formations and return to their main fleet. It was the moment Reinhard was waiting for.

"Now!" he ordered. "All ships, concentrate your fire! Target the enemy's advance guard! Full barrage!"

Neutron beams tore through the void in glowing streams of blue, followed by blazing explosions as ships were blown apart by multiple direct hits. Within minutes the Alliance advance guard was collapsing, reduced from disciplined wedges into a confused and milling mass of ships being shot to pieces by the Imperial Fleet. At the same time, the rest of the Imperial Fleet closed in from port and starboard.

"All ships, advance!" Reinhard ordered. "Follow my lead!"

* * *

"All ships, withdraw all the way to the orbit of the first planet!" Bucock ordered urgently. "They got us."

"Nearly four thousand ships lost, along with Rear Admirals Marinetti and Xaniel." Chung said grimly. "I ought to say that's just what you'd expect of Prince Lohengramm…we underestimated him."

"And we paid for it." Bucock said. "Maintain the formation while withdrawing, and return fire!"

Over the following hours, the Alliance Combined Fleet withdrew with the Imperial Fleet in pursuit, before stopping at the orbit of the first planet. There, the Alliance dug its heels in and fought hard, exchanging fire furiously with the Empire over the next several hours.

At 1900 hours, an unpleasant piece of news arrived.

"Rear Admiral Buteney's wing has collapsed." Soun reported grimly. "A determined attack by the Imperial Fleet on our right wing is breaking through, and the admiral has been killed in action."

"Three hours…" Bucock sighed. "Only three hours…unthinkable."

"But,' Chung said. "We can't let the enemy break through, regardless."

"Yes," Bucock agreed with a nod. "Order Admiral Mouton to take up the right wing. Counterattack the Imperial Fleet trying to break through. Do we know who's in command?"

"Their flagship's IFF designation's been confirmed as the _Tristan_ , Reuenthal Fleet flagship." Soun reported.

"Reuenthal…?" Bucock said. "Oh dear, oh dear…one of the Twin Stars…but we can't do nothing either. Tell Mouton not to get too reckless, and to just hold the line."

"In any case," Chung said grimly. "Our plan to destroy the enemy fleet by fleet has clearly failed. Now all we can is hold out until the Iserlohn Station Fleet gets here, and that we can disengage safely once they do."

"Shame…but that's just how things are."

The 14th Fleet charged in, neutron and electron cannons blazing, and meeting the Reuenthal Fleet head on. The latter held its ground, for a time engaging head on before dispersing into smaller forces which stuck to the 14th Fleet and began the arduous task of grinding the enemy down by destroying them ship to ship and simultaneously keeping the 14th Fleet from being able to truly focus its fire.

"Admiral," Soun said. "Another Imperial fleet…a reserve fleet from the look of things, is moving around the battlefield, most likely to attack us from the rear."

"But," Chung began. "We have no surplus combat strength available to intercept with right now."

Bucock silently nodded, but narrowed his eyes. "We can't do anything about it right now." He said softly. "But we might just have a chance…"

"Sir?" Soun said, but received no answer before new developments on the battlefield demanded his attention.

It was hours later that the Imperial fleet tried to attack the Combined Fleet into the rear…only to run into a current of energized gases produced by the battle, and drawn in by the solar primary between the two fleets, carrying debris with it. Their formation thrown by the current, and risking getting dragged into the Rantemario star, the Imperial fleet which attempted to attack from the rear was forced to withdraw, positioning itself on the Reuenthal Fleet's left wing and joining in on the artillery duel between the fleets.

"Looks like we managed to avoid getting attacked from the rear." Chung observed with relief.

"Yes." Bucock said. "Given our disadvantages, we need to use what we have, even the environment itself, to not lose."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Maybe we should go nearer the stage, for when our role is called for in the end game."

Standing on the _Konig Tiger_ 's command deck, Admiral Fritz Josef Bittenfeld observed the battlefield with an impatient but confident air. "Sir?" his adjutant asked.

"Position our fleet next to but behind Mittermeier's fleet." Bittenfeld ordered.

"You intend to showcase the Black Lancers then?" his chief of staff asked.

"Not really," Bittenfeld said with a smile. "I just thought that if we're going to wait, then we'll wait where we need to make Prince Lohengramm wait the least for when he tells us to win this battle. And if we were to cross a current, we should cross upstream, shouldn't we? And that's from the right wing."

As ordered by their commander, the Black Lancers repositioned themselves to the Imperial Fleet's right wing, though did not actually join the battle…yet. On the _Brunhild_ , Reinhard noted the battle's progress with some concern.

"Victory will not be easy." He said with an impressed and respectful tone. "That old man will not be felled so easily, just like it should have been with Merkatz."

"But," Oberstein began. "victory is inevitable, and only a matter of time."

"True," Reinhard said with a nod. "That said, it's been ten hours since the battle began. Our soldiers won't be able to keep up with this pace. Streit,"

Reinhard's senior adjutant stepped forward with a salute. "Yes sir?" he asked.

"The battlefield is at a stalemate," Reinhard answered. "Unnecessarily exerting ourselves will only cause needless sacrifices. We'll briefly withdraw to regroup, and in that time, have our men rest and eat in shifts."

"Yes sir." Streit said with a bow before walking off to relay his commander's orders.

"Fraulein Mariendorf," Reinhard said, Hilda stepping closer at his prompting, and getting a reassuring smile from the prince. "I'm sure you're tired after taking part in your first battle. Feel free to rest at this point."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Reinhard nodded, though he himself did not leave to rest until the Imperial Fleet had carried out its withdrawal, and regrouping was well underway.

As of 0100 hours on February 9, Universal Calendar 799, Imperial Calendar 490, the Battle of Rantemario remained at a stalemate.

* * *

A/N

Reinhard, not Mittermeier, is at the center this time around. And the Alliance gets a very bloody nose for thinking he'll be easy prey.


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.

Our Universe

Chapter 13

At 0700 hours on February 10, Universal Calendar 799, Imperial Calendar 490, the Battle of Rantemario resumed with a devastating, long-range bombardment from the Imperial Fleet. The Alliance Combined Fleet rose to the challenge, maintaining a solid formation and returning fire even as they took it from nearly all directions save for their rear.

It was an hour into the battle that Bucock gave new orders. "All ships, begin giving way." He ordered. "Maintain the formation, but withdraw behind the debris of the battle. At the same, all carriers launch your Spartanian squadrons. Afterwards, the carriers and battleships will form up into a mobile reserve, and concentrate their fire at the enemy's spearheads as they push forward against us. Use the debris as cover if you need to."

The ordered were relayed, and within minutes the Combined Fleet began to proceed as per their commander's orders. The Imperials initially made no reaction, but twenty minutes on and probes in strength were being launched from the left and right wings, with squadrons from the Reuenthal and Mittermeier Fleets.

"Spartanian squadrons," Chung ordered. "Avoid destroying the Imperial ships as they push forward. Instead, use the debris as cover on approach, and outflanking the enemy ships target their engines. Leave them dead in the water!"

Chung listened to the response for several more moments, and then replaced the field telephone back onto its cradle. "My apologies," he said to Bucock. "I understand that we're essentially resorting to Human shield tactics by this point, but given our situation…"

Bucock nodded as Chung trailed off. "It can't be helped." He said. "We have to do everything we can to hold the line here."

"At least until the Iserlohn Fleet arrives." Chung said, and Bucock nodded again.

"Then what?" Soun asked.

"Then…depending on our losses…no, considering the losses we'll likely take until then," Bucock reluctantly admitted. "We'll have to retreat, and leave the battlefield to the enemy."

"What?" Soun gasped.

"It's our only choice." Chung said grimly. "Our objective is to secure a position from which to negotiate a fair peace treaty with the Empire. And we can't do that if our fleet is destroyed here. We'll need to preserve it, at least as a fleet-in-being, in order to prevent the Empire from simply dictating terms to the Alliance."

"Hopefully we can do more than that." Bucock said. "If we can leave the field with enough combat strength intact, then together with the Iserlohn Station Fleet, we can adopt a Fabian strategy. Avoiding unnecessary engagements, and fighting only when needed and at a tactical advantage…"

Bucock trailed off while shaking his head. "No," he said. "That's a consideration for later. Right now, we need to focus on getting through this battle. Nothing else matters."

There were nods all around, as Bucock focused his attention on the tactical displays. As he watched, the Imperial Fleet probed his lines, and as per his and Chung's orders, their forces responded.

The mobile reserve used concentrated fire to slow down the enemy's probing forces, while the bulk of the Combined Fleet kept the main Imperial Fleet busy. With their own forces probing the Alliance lines, the Imperial Fleet ironically had to tone down their artillery fire, which together with the Combined Fleet using the wreckage of destroyed ships as cover and not having to worry about friendly fire gave the Combined Fleet a firepower advantage against the Imperial Fleet.

Further adding to the irony was that while the Imperial Fleet had detected a large-scale fighter launch on the Alliance's part, their correct deduction that launching their own fighter forces would only favor the Alliance played to the Combined Fleet's advantage. Using the wreckage of destroyed ships as cover on approach, they closed in undetected on the Imperial Fleet's probing forces, and targeting their engines, left large numbers of cruisers and destroyers, battleships even, adrift helplessly in space.

This forced the Imperial Fleet to break off their attack for fear of hitting their own forces, as crippled Imperial vessels drifted through the space between the two fleets. Pulling back what forces they could, the Imperial Fleet switched to a new tactic, firing precise volleys to cover engineering ships as they moved forward to tow the crippled ships to the rear for repair and recovery.

* * *

"That clever old man," Reinhard began with genuine respect, while sitting on his command throne. It was now 1242 hours on February 10, the battlefield again at a standstill as the Imperial Fleet recovered their crippled vessels. "Despite the overwhelming odds before him, he's managed to drag the battle out for so long, and kept his fleet in good order. As should be expected from someone with decades of experience on the battlefield."

"As you say, Your Excellency." Oberstein agreed. "With that experience, by simply focusing on 'not losing' our fleet despite all its advantages is unable to make headway."

"Hmm…and?"

"The enemy most likely awaits the arrival of their Iserlohn Station Fleet." Oberstein continued. "Once it arrives, given the closing of the gap between the numbers of our fleet, then even in the event of victory our losses will be such that they can't be ignored. And if the enemy manages to retreat in good order afterwards, then even with the fresh forces even now advancing from the Iserlohn Corridor, our victory will be of less impact than hoped."

"As you say," Reinhard said with a nod. "We need to decisively break this fleet before us, and advancing, secure a foothold within Alliance territory from which to continue our campaign. Even if the Iserlohn Station Fleet must be allowed to proceed to Heinessen in the process, strategically-speaking given the extent we've extended our lines, consolidation would better serve us than attempting to engage after such a difficult battle."

"Destroying the enemy one by one is a conservative, but valid strategy." Oberstein observed. "And given our astrographic position, conservatism would serve us well indeed at this point."

Reinhard nodded. "Indeed," he said while sitting up. "Let's wrap this up. The enemy commander we face today is the last echo bar one of the pride and dignity the Free Planets Alliance once possessed. Let us honor what he represents with our full might. Streit!"

"Yes, sir?" the rear admiral asked with a salute.

"Signal Bittenfeld." Reinhard ordered. "Break the enemy lines with the Black Lancers, and bring the enemy's banners before me!"

"Yes, sir!"

As Streit moved to relay his orders, Reinhard looked back to the tactical displays, and narrowed his eyes.

" _Soon._ " He thought.

* * *

As a junior officer read Reinhard's orders, Bittenfeld smirked and then whistled at its conclusion. With a gesture of his arm, the orders were given, and in minutes the Black Lancers were advancing from their position at the starboard rear of the Mittermeier Fleet, and advancing past the latter, pushed into the energy current flowing between the Imperial and Alliance Fleets.

"Maintain the formation!" Bittenfeld shouted as the _Konig Tiger_ shook around and beneath him.

"Calculate the relative speeds of the current and our fleet, and compensate! Standby to commence bombardment the moment we break through the current!"

"Your Excellency," his adjutant began in alarm. "The enemy will know we are on our approach, and it's likely they'll have the initiative as we emerge from the current."

"So what?" Bittenfeld snapped. "Meet the enemy's counterattack with our own, and power through!"

It was at 1320 hours that the Black Lancer broke through the energy current, and found the Alliance Combined Fleet's mobile reserve in position to fire. Neutron beams carved through space, and explosions erupted _en masse_ as Imperial ships were torn apart by the volley.

"Don't falter!" Bittenfeld ordered. "Continue advancing, at maximum battle speed! Overwhelm them with firepower, numbers, momentum, and everything we've got! Breakthrough!"

Driven by their commander's sheer will and knowing theirs was the honor – or in the event of failure, _dishonor_ – of breaking the Alliance lines, the Black Lancers plowed through. More neutron beams carved through space as the Black Lancers opened fire, ineffectively at first, but growing more and more effective as the minutes passed and more and more ships pushed through the current and drove against the Combined Fleet.

In the end, the ten thousand ships of the Black Lancers proved too much for the mobile reserve, which only numbered a few thousand. And with the bulk of the Combined Fleet tied down by a renewed bombardment from the main Imperial Fleet, by 1510 hours the mobile reserve had collapsed and the Black Lancers drove into the heart of the Alliance Combined Fleet, the hammer to break it to pieces against the anvil that was the main Imperial Fleet.

"Enemy lines have collapsed." The weapons officer said in triumph. "Target locked: Alliance Combined Fleet Flagship, _Rio Grande_!"

"Fire!" Bittenfeld roared, and the _Konig Tiger_ fired along with hundreds of ships around and in its wake. The Alliance flagship and the few other Alliance ships nearby were hammered from their flank, and then explosions burned in space as they exploded under the onslaught.

The destruction of the flagship broke the Alliance Combined Fleet. Alliance communications channels devolved into a confused mess of surrenders, exhortations to fight to the death, maydays, and other signs of desperation. In the end, at 1845 hours, February 10, Universal Calendar 799, Imperial Calendar 490, the Battle of Rantemario came to an end.

The Alliance Combined Fleet suffered over thirty thousand ships destroyed or captured, with an estimated five thousand ships making an orderly retreat under the command of Vice Admiral Mouton in the direction of Heinessen. The remainder scattered on their own accord, prioritizing their own safety rather than surrender or retreat to fight another day. Personnel losses numbered over two million men killed, taken prisoner, or missing in action.

In contrast, the Imperial Fleet lost only about ten thousand ships, and about three-quarters of a million men killed, taken prisoner, or missing in action. "Notify the fleet," Reinhard ordered after receiving confirmation that any and all resistance had ceased. "Once regrouping is complete, the fleet will proceed to Ghandarva Starzone and the system of the same name, and on planet Urvash establish a forward operations base from which to continue our campaign."

"Yes, sir!" his staff officers acknowledged with a salute.

"Furthermore," he continued. "As we depart the battlefield, all officers and crew will rise and salute the fallen."

"Yes, sir!"

Reinhard nodded, and rising from his throne departed the bridge.

* * *

It was on February 12 that the Iserlohn Station Fleet, hurrying from Shampool to Rantemario, received notification from Heinessen of the crushing defeat at Rantemario, and the virtual annihilation of Fleet Admiral Bucock's command. With it came new orders, to proceed to Heinessen immediately and regrouping with the survivors reform the Combined Fleet under the newly-reinstated and promoted Fleet Admiral Yang Wen-li.

"No…the Combined Fleet…"

"Admiral Bucock…"

"What a disaster…"

"It's over…the Alliance…what will happen to the Alliance now…"

"It's not over yet!" Alarcon exploded at the staff officer who suggested that the Alliance had been defeated. "We still have twenty thousand ships in our fleet! Thousands more at Heinessen! And Miracle Yang…!"

"Yang…" Cazerne murmured before rubbing his eyes. "If only…if only the damn politicians hadn't…then maybe…"

"In any case," Rockwell said, also rubbing his eyes. "We have our orders. We will proceed to Heinessen, reform the Combined Fleet, and under Fleet Admiral Yang, continue the fight."

Rockwell paused, and swept his gaze across the meeting room. "We're not beaten yet." He said. "So long as we still have one ship, any one soldier, willing to fight and die to protect our Alliance, then we haven't lost. Not yet…not ever. We just have to hold on, and keep on fighting. We'll only lose if we give up."

"Yes sir!" the response came from across the room, and Rockwell nodded once before turning to Murai.

"Rear Admiral Murai, give the word to the fleet. About the defeat at Rantemario, Fleet Admiral Bucock's death, and our new orders."

"Admiral," Murai began. "Is that wise? Won't it potentially demoralize the fleet?"

"It could." Rockwell admitted. "But it could also serve to motivate them. Whether to avenge our comrades, or knowing that we have our backs to the wall defending our homes and families…come to think of it, a formal mourning period while on the way to Heinessen just might serve to drive home the need to honor the sacrifices at Rantemario."

Murai nodded. "I'll have it done, admiral." He said, and Rockwell nodded.

"Very good," he said. "I'll leave it to you."

"Yes, sir."

Rockwell turned back to the rest of his staff, and nodded. "If there is nothing more," he said. "Then dismissed."

* * *

It was a subdued atmosphere in which Defense Secretary Islands met with Fleet Admiral Yang. "Speak freely, fleet admiral." Islands began. "Do we have any chance of winning this war?"

Yang didn't answer at once. He looked out the windows for several moments, and then sighing removed his beret to keep his hands busy with. "That would depend on the definition of victory." He finally said. "Obviously, we can no longer dictate terms to the Empire, but for the government's goal of negotiating a treaty in good faith…"

Yang paused, and again looked out the window. "No," he said, shaking his head while returning his gaze to the defense secretary. "We can save the Alliance, but we can't win this war. Not now…maybe in the future, but there's no ending it right now."

"What do you mean?" Islands asked.

"The Empire holds all the cards." Yang began. "They have superior numbers, both in terms of soldiers in uniform and overall population, have a larger industrial base than we do, and with the fall of Iserlohn and Fezzan both, have superior positioning. Indeed, it's arguable if we can even contest them for the initiative."

"But?"

Yang nodded. "They have one weakness." He said. "An Achilles' Heel, in fact. Specifically, Prince Lohengramm himself."

"…what?" Islands asked in surprise.

"Prince Lohengramm is the effective ruler of the Empire at this point." Yang said. "It doesn't matter that a scion of the Goldenbaum Dynasty still sits on Odin's throne, all real power is in his hands. But, like all dictators and autocrats, the question lies in who shall take power on his death."

"I see!" Islands said in comprehension. "Prince Lohengramm holds all authority, but with the loyalties of all of his subordinates focused on him alone, then should he die…"

"…then what keeps them together will vanish." Yang said with a nod. "His subordinates will promptly begin to argue or even fight amongst themselves for the right to succeed him, indeed, it might even be expected that the nobles he overthrew – or those who survived – to join in on the struggle to reclaim the power and influence Prince Lohengramm had taken from them."

"And in the process," Islands continued with building confidence. "All will return to Imperial territory, thus saving the Alliance!"

"For now, at least." Yang said with a sigh. "Certainly, we'll save the Alliance. But if we do this, the citizens of the Empire will never forgive us. We'll take from them the greatest leader they've known, and worse have plunged their nation into a civil war. There will be no peace between our children, or our children's children."

Islands grimly nodded. "I see your point." He said. "But…we can't really hold back on account of the enemy's civilians, can we? Our responsibility belongs to our citizens, not to them."

"Perhaps…" Yang said with a sigh. "Personally, I believe we shouldn't go to war without fully considering the enemy's civilians. Failing to take that properly into account contributed significantly to our defeat during our invasion of the Empire a few years ago, and its aftershocks contributed to the Imperial public's support for Prince Lohengramm's current campaign against us."

Yang paused and sighed. "And of course," he continued. "You said that we are responsible to our citizens…but if we survive at the cost of deep and enduring hatred from the Empire's citizens…won't it be our future citizens who'll pay the price?"

Islands couldn't answer, and after several moments, Yang sighed and shook his head. "All that said though," he finally said. "Those are just my personal opinions. While I'd like your Excellency and the government to consider that in mind for the future, I will of course, perform my duty to defend the Alliance, no matter the cost."

Islands nodded. "I understand, fleet admiral." He said. "Would you happen to have any suggestions for what to do after the war?"

"We'll have to rebuild." Yang said at once. "Even in the worst-case scenario, we'll have at least a generation's worth of peacetime as the Empire recovers from the civil war that will result from Prince Lohengramm's death. We can't afford to waste that time."

"Yes, of course." Islands said with a nod. "I understand."

Yang nodded. "If there is nothing more, Mister Secretary," he began. "I should get going. Though the Iserlohn Station Fleet hasn't arrived yet, I have to make what preparations I can as early as possible. We don't have much time."

"Yes, of course." Islands said with a nod. "I completely understand. And rest assured, the Alliance government will do everything it can to support you in the coming campaign, and to honor you for your services afterwards."

"Thank you, sir.'

Islands nodded and got to his feet, Yang doing likewise. Shaking hands, the defense secretary turned to leave only to pause as an idea came to him. "I almost forgot." He said. "With regard to other officers to be reinstated, _Vice Admiral_ Attenborough and _Lieutenant General_ Schonkopf should be ready to reassume command by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Yang smiled and nodded. "That is good news to hear." He said.

"As I said, fleet admiral," Islands said. "We'll do everything to support you. Until later then."

"Yes, sir."

Yang saluted as the secretary left the room, leaving him alone with Frederica. "Well, I'm stumped." Yang said while collapsing into a seat. "That was a welcome surprise, but still a surprise for all that."

"It's a good thing though," Frederica said. "That the Alliance government is finally focusing on what needs to be done."

"No kidding." Yang said, though he fell silent afterwards with a worried expression on his face.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"Hmm…I didn't mention this to the defense secretary since I'm not sure it'd be in-character for the kind of men Prince Lohengramm prefers under his command," Yang worriedly said. "But there is the possibility that his men – upon his death – would not immediately fall into infighting and return to the Empire afterwards."

"…do you mean they will attempt to continue to conquer the Alliance?"

"It's possible." Yang said glumly. "Either in their own names, or more likely that of Prince Lohengramm's sister, Countess Grunewald."

Yang paused and shook his head. "And that's the worst part." He said. "We – I – know so little about her beyond she's Prince Lohengramm's sister and a former mistress of the late Emperor Frederick IV. I can't really say what she'd do if her brother's men turned her into their figurehead in the event her brother dies."

"Do you think she will attempt to avenge her brother?" Frederica asked.

"I don't know." Yang said. "I don't know enough to make a reasoned assumption. And that aside…"

"…is there something else worrying you?"

"…as I said, it doesn't seem like it's something Prince Lohengramm's men would do," Yang worriedly said. "But if we kill him in battle, and his men are lost in grief, then instead of merely just conquering the Alliance, they will seek to destroy it."

"…it can't be…they wouldn't…"

"A literal scorched earth campaign…" Yang murmured. "You never know what men might do when brought to the brink."

"…fleet admiral…"

Yang sighed and shook his head. "In any case," he said while getting up. "Just worrying will do no good. We need to do something real, and we have plenty that needs attending to. Let's go, Frederica."

"Yes, fleet admiral."

* * *

Even as the Iserlohn Station Fleet hurried to Heinessen and Yang put together a plan to expose and eliminate Prince Lohengramm from the board, an estimated thirty thousand ships and one mobile fortress and its own station fleet arrived at planet Urvash in the Ghandarva Star System in the starzone of the same name. Three flagships descended from orbit to the surface, _Barbarossa_ , _Salamander_ , and _Jotunheim_. Aboard them were respectively Fleet Admiral Siegfried Kircheis, Admiral August Samuel Wahlen, and High Admiral Karl Gustav Kempff.

They were greeted on arrival by an honor guard of light infantry, along with Reinhard and his staff himself. "Well done, all three of you." Reinhard said, returning the salutes of the newly-arrived flag officers and their staff. "Having recaptured Iserlohn Fortress, you have opened a second front and a new route for supplies and reinforcements to pass through, all valuable contributions to the campaign."

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Kircheis said. "And we would congratulate you on your great victory at Rantemario. With this, the door to Heinessen is open, and once what's left of the Alliance Forces have been defeated, this war can finally end, and a new, golden age of peace and prosperity dawn over the known universe."

Reinhard nodded, and gesturing for them to follow, led the way further into the compound. It was half an hour later and once the fleets' officers were mingling in the simple celebration of the campaign's having come so far that Reinhard and Kircheis retired to one corner of the large function room the celebration was being held at.

"What do you think?" Reinhard asked.

"Intelligence informs us that Yang Wen-li has been reinstated and promoted to Fleet Admiral." Kircheis said. "Furthermore, he is rebuilding the Alliance Combined Fleet between the survivors of Rantemario and the Iserlohn Station Fleet. And on that note, I apologize for failing to prevent the latter's escape. If it had not…"

Reinhard waved him off. "I'm sure you had good reason, Kircheis." He said. "And this might even be for the best. If he only had the survivors of Rantemario to work with, Yang Wen-li might resort to a more troublesome strategy of asymmetric warfare to contest us with. Instead, he would face us in open battle, with what's left of the Alliance's combat strength. Destroy them, and they'll have nothing left to oppose us with."

"As you say, Lord Reinhard."

Reinhard nodded. "If you were in Yang's place," he began. "How would you proceed?"

"You are our weakness, Lord Reinhard." Kircheis said. "If you should fall, to whom shall our loyalty go? Who shall we turn to in order to guide us into the future? With that in mind, I suspect Fleet Admiral Yang will seek to draw you out, and isolating you, engage you in battle on his terms and thus eliminate you with a single stroke."

"I suspected as much." Reinhard said with a nod. "That would be their only real chance at a victory, wouldn't it, Kircheis?"

"Yes, Lord Reinhard."

"And how do you think he will proceed with applying such a strategy?"

"First," Kircheis said. "In order to narrow down our freedom of choice and margin of error, he will attempt to sever our supply lines. One or two raids to destroy supply fleets tasked with performing resupply operations would suffice. He would then wear down our forces, by drawing individual fleets away and then defeating them, before finally going for you, Lord Reinhard."

"…he overestimates himself," Reinhard said. "If he expects to defeat you, Kircheis."

"Lord Reinhard, flattery doesn't become you."

Reinhard laughed. "I suppose it isn't." he said, before looking out the large, glass windows in thought for several moments. "Still, when all is said and done, he's basically conserving his forces to fight and win when it matters, and in conditions he'd set beforehand. In short, a Fabian strategy."

"So it would seem, Lord Reinhard."

Reinhard laughed again. "Fabius Maximus," he said softly. "That was the name of the Roman general for whom the strategy was named after. And it served him well against Hannibal. But…what if Hannibal marched on Rome? Then what?"

"It would have done him no good." Kircheis answered. "For he had not the means to break its walls."

"True," Reinard conceded. "But we are not so limited against Heinessen, are we?"

"No, we are not, Lord Reinhard."

Reinhard smiled, and after a moment so did Kircheis. The path to victory was clear.

* * *

A/N

And the Battle of Rantemario comes to an explosive close, with the Combined Fleet effectively annihilated and the Alliance command staff all but wiped out. There might not seem like much differences between the canon battle and the AU one here, but here the Empire had one extra fleet, specifically the Reuenthal Fleet. That's fifteen thousand ships not present in canon, and commanded by one of the best commanders in the Empire, Oskar von Reuenthal.

With all the heavy losses, Yang is understandably more worried than in canon, but he's still not worried enough. Then again, how could he possibly expect Kircheis already figuring out what he's planning to do?


End file.
